The Cat with Two Faces Part II: Open Flame
by SamRedfox
Summary: Murder. Deception. Betrayal. ThunderClan is like a dying tree, rotten to the core. And all it will take is a little fire to bring it crashing down.
1. Unstoppable

Fireheart

Fireheart shivered. His handsome ginger fur was still thin, as it always was during greenleaf; it would be a few moons before his pelt was thick enough to keep out cold like this. He shuffled his forepaws on the hard, slightly grassy earth beneath them. Dawn was finally approaching. Soon this pointless vigil would be over.

As he waited for the sun to come up, Fireheart replayed the previous day's victory in his head. He could vividly remember Brokenstar's glittering eyes as the ShadowClan leader backed away, hissing threats, before fleeing into the trees after his companions. _A genius, that cat,_ Fireheart thought. _Driving an entire Clan out of their territory,_ _training kits from his own Clan, stealing them from others―how in StarClan did he get away with it? That cat's got more brains than the rest of this mousebrained forest put together!_ The dark leader might well be the key to Fireheart's rise to power.

Fireheart flicked his ears as a new sound disturbed his thoughts. He looked up to see Graypaw―Graystripe, now―kneading the ground with his paws in an apparently futile effort to stay warm. Fireheart stifled a quiet purr. Graystripe was obviously as idiotic as ever. But as stupid as he was, Graystripe's safety was guaranteed―after all, what was a leader without a few minions?

_Leader._ Oh, how delicious the word felt. Fireheart knew that he was by far the smartest cat in this pathetic Clan. No one stood in the way of his path to leadership. Well… no one, that was, except for one warrior: Tigerclaw.

Tigerclaw was the one warrior that might cause a problem for Fireheart. But that was alright, because Fireheart had a plan. One of the other apprentices, Ravenpaw, had witnessed a heated battle between ThunderClan and ShadowClan. In the battle, Boulder, the ShadowClan deputy, had killed Redtail, the ThunderClan deputy. But Ravenpaw had been, well, _convinced_ to lie about it and say that _Tigerclaw_ killed Redtail. Now, all Fireheart had to do was spring the trap and tell Bluestar what Tigerclaw had supposedly done. With Tigerclaw gone, ThunderClan would soon be Fireheart's.

A rustle jolted Fireheart out of his thoughts. He looked up to see the brambles that curtained Bluestar's den twitching. A moment later, the silvery-blue she-cat appeared and padded across the camp. Tigerclaw emerged from the warriors' den and trotted over to meet her. The dark tabby warrior murmured something to the leader, flicking his tail urgently. Bluestar replied calmly before moving away towards the medicine cat's den. Tigerclaw headed away, back to the warriors' den.

"Glad to see the sunrise, you two?"

Fireheart jumped. Whitestorm was standing a short distance away from him and Graystripe. The gray tabby immediately began nodding vigorously, and Fireheart did the same, though at a more sedate pace.

"It's alright; you may speak now. Your vigil is over."

_Finally! _Fireheart noted that there was new respect for him forming in Whitestorm's eyes. _Hmmm. He respects me now. This may prove useful._

"Thank you, Whitestorm," the ginger warrior mewed respectfully. Next to him, Graystripe stood and stretched his muscles eagerly.

"Brrr!" the gray tom declared loudly. "I thought the sun would never come up!"

"So, the great warrior speaks!" A slender, pale ginger she-cat emerged from the apprentices' den, her green eyes narrowed in scorn. A dark brown tabby tom followed her, brushing pelts with her ever so slightly. Fireheart's eyes instinctively narrowed as he recognized the pair. _Sandpaw and Dustpaw. Would you look at that―cold air must attract idiotic mouse-brains._

"I'm surprised such heroes even _feel_ the cold!" Dustpaw jibed. Sandpaw purred in amusement. Fireheart only rolled his eyes. If the apprentices wanted to make fools of themselves, that was completely fine with him.

Whitestorm shot the apprentices a stern look.

"Go and find something to eat; then rest," he ordered Fireheart and Graystripe. Then he turned and headed toward the apprentices' den. "Come on, you two," he mewed to Sandpaw and Dustpaw. "It's time for training."

"I hope he has them chasing blue squirrels all day!" Graystripe declared as he and Fireheart padded toward the fresh-kill pile.

"There aren't any blue squirrels," Fireheart pointed out, silently adding, _Mouse-brain. _

"Exactly!" Graystripe mewed. Fireheart had to force himself not to roll his eyes. _That vigil must've affected Graystripe's brain._

"Hey, look!" Graystripe said. By this time they had reached the fresh-kill pile. "One mouse each and a chaffinch to share!"

_I'd rather not share with you,_ Fireheart thought, but stayed silent as he selected his meal. Graystripe's eyes sparkled with delight as he looked over at Fireheart. "I guess we take it to the warriors' side of the camp now!"

_No, we take it to the nursery,_ Fireheart thought. "I guess we do," he muttered out loud, trying to avoid dropping his meal in the process.

The two cats padded across the camp, heading for the thorn bush that sheltered the warriors' den. Fireheart began gulping down his prey as soon as they reached the bush. He had never been so hungry in his life.

"Now what?" Graystripe asked with his mouth full. "I don't know about you, but I think I could sleep for half a moon!"

"Me too," Fireheart replied. Graystripe leapt up and began navigating around the bodies of the motionless ThunderClan warriors. Mousefur, Longtail, Runningwind, and Willowpelt were all still asleep.

Fireheart easily found an unoccupied nest and settled down. For a while he lay quietly, thinking. _I have to talk to Bluestar as soon as possible. If Tigerclaw gets wind of what I'm planning, it'll all be over._ He knew that Tigerclaw might already suspect him of something. _I don't have much time. This is urgent. And now… now I don't have Spottedleaf to help me. _Fireheart felt a choking sadness at the thought of the beautiful medicine cat. Spottedleaf had been killed by a ShadowClan warrior just a few days ago. The ginger warrior's heart still ached whenever he thought of her. _But I guess the two of us were never meant to be. And now, maybe I can concentrate on getting a mate in the Clan. That'll definitely help my image._ Fireheart stretched his legs, unsheathing his claws as he did so. _Everything is falling into place!_

"Hey," a sleepy voice said. Fireheart looked over to see that her had accidentally buried his claws into Runningwind's tail. The brown tabby was now looking up at him with irritation in his gaze.

"Get your claws out of my tail, Fire-whateveryournameis," Runningwind hissed. His eyes narrowing, Fireheart withdrew his claws. Runningwind laid his head back down and resumed his sleep.

_Now I know who I'm going for first as mate,_ Fireheart thought. _Willowpelt._ He looked over at the delicate silver-grey she-cat. _You think I don't know about your little romance,_ Fireheart thought, directing his thoughts at Runningwind. _But I do. I'll teach you to respect me!_ And, now that he thought about it, Willowpelt was cute enough. Not as beautiful as Spottedleaf, of course. But cute enough to be his first choice of a mate anyway―even if Runningwind _hadn't_ been a jerk. _I'll just wait till the time is right. Then all of Runningwind's dreams get crushed._

_ThunderClan had better watch out,_ Fireheart thought as he finally drifted off to sleep. _Because just like fire… I am unstoppable._

**As before, chapters will be posted every Tuesday and Friday. Enjoy!**


	2. For the Good of the Clan

Bluestar

Bluestar padded quickly along the edge of the lake. The, for lack of a better word, 'Gathering' was due to begin any minute. She didn't want to go, and there was really no reason for her to go. But if she didn't go, her 'friends' would begin asking questions, and that was the last thing she needed at the moment.

Bluestar leapt onto the log bridge, crossed onto the island, and dashed, as elegantly as possible, into the hollow.

"I'm here!" As she skidded to a stop, she realized that she had interrupted Whiteclaw.

"Bluestar." Whiteclaw's whiskers were twitching as he looked down at her from the leaders' tree. "How nice of you to join us."

"Yes, we were afraid you wouldn't come," Stumpytail sneered.

Bluestar whirled on him, claws unsheathed, "You! What are you doing here? My warriors chased you out of your Clan a sunrise ago!"

"And you thought that would stop us?" Clawface emerged from the dark shadow of a tree. "Really, Bluestar. Brokenstar knows all about our meetings here. And you'd be surprised how easy it is to buy off a hungry patrol."

"_If_ I may continue, you two?" Bluestar and Clawface both froze.

Then Bluestar sat down, daintily smoothing her whiskers with one paw, "Of course, Whiteclaw. Continue."

"Thank you, Bluestar. As I was saying―prey is running fairly well in RiverClan. However, our medicine cat is running low on borage. We need more."

"I know where some grows on our territory," Bluestar mewed.

Whiteclaw looked down at her with interest, "What would you like for it? Name your price."

Bluestar could easily sense the desperation behind the dark warrior's calm tone. One of the cats in his Clan was sick, and he was willing to give up quite a bit to get borage.

Bluestar neatly washed one paw as she about it. 'Name your price' wasn't something you heard every day.

"I'll give you five stalks of borage for ten stalks of feverfew," she finally meowed.

"Ten stalks?" Whiteclaw exclaimed. "But that's―"

"Are you _challenging_ me, Whiteclaw?" The dark-furred warrior bowed his head.

"Ten stalks it is, Bluestar." Then he looked up. "But Mudfur needs fifteen stalks of borage."

"Then you'll have to pay thirty stalks of feverfew."

"Very well." Then Whiteclaw leapt down from the leaders' tree. "I should be going. My Clan will miss me."

"Mine will too." Together, Whiteclaw and Bluestar bounded across the log bridge and away from the island. Just before they parted ways, Whiteclaw turned to Bluestar, "When should I bring the feverfew?"

"At the next Gathering. We'll exchange herbs then." With a nod, Whiteclaw turned and sprang away. Bluestar headed back toward her own territory, feeling very pleased at the bargain she had struck.

Only after she had crossed the border did Bluestar realize what she had done. _Thirty stalks of feverfew! That's insane!_ Whiteclaw would have to raid his own medicine cat's supplies to pay that much―and for what? For fifteen stalks of wilted, half-dead borage. _What have I become?_ Bluestar thought in horror. _Have I become one of them―a bounty hunter who cares for nothing but her own gain?_

_I'm doing this for my Clan,_ Bluestar reminded herself sternly. _Thirty stalks of feverfew is a lot. Yellowfang with be glad to have such a nice stock, especially with leaf-bare coming on. _

_ But she'll want to know where you got it,_ a voice in Bluestar's head whispered. _Yellowfang isn't like other cats. She knows about your secret meetings. _

_I'm only doing this for the good of my Clan,_ Bluestar told herself firmly. _And that is the truth._ With that, she pushed through the thorn barrier and scrambled down into camp.

Tigerclaw met her almost immediately.

"Where have you been?" His tone was civil, with maybe a hint of worry or curiosity. Bluestar fell into step next to him, meowing in reply, "Just a quick patrol along the ShadowClan border. Everything's quiet. How are our new warriors holding up?"

"They've been on two patrols each," Tigerclaw replied. "And they seem fine."

"Well, let them have a break now," Bluestar ordered. "Anything else?"

"Mistkit's and Swiftkit's apprentice ceremonies are today," Tigerclaw reminded her. "Don't forget."

"Oh, yes, those. I'll do them now. Go and fetch the two of them, will you, Tigerclaw?"

"Of course." Tigerclaw trotted away towards the nursery. Bluestar leapt onto the Highledge, yowling the traditional summons as she went.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

The Clan assembled. Bluestar looked out over the crowd and noticed that Fireheart was sitting close to Willowpelt―closer than usual. As she watched, Graystripe leaned over and murmured something into Fireheart's ear.

Bluestar then caught sight of Swiftkit and Mistkit approaching the Highledge, with Tigerclaw and Goldenflower in tow. Bluestar looked out and began the ceremony.

"It is time for two kits of ThunderClan to become apprentices," the silver-blue she-cat yowled. "From this day forward, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be named Swiftpaw." Longtail padded forward from the crowd, leaping up onto a lower ledge to sit in front of the small black-and-white kit. Bluestar looked down at them, and for an instant she was reminded of her own apprentice ceremony. It seemed so long ago now… just in time, she remembered other part of the ceremony.

"Longtail, you were Darkstripe's apprentice. He taught you well, and you have become a fierce and loyal warrior. I hope that you will pass these qualities on to Swiftpaw." As Bluestar finished, the two cats touched noses―Longtail leaning down, Swiftpaw stretching up. Then they retreated to the crowd.

"Mistkit. Step forward," Bluestar intoned. "Form this day on, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Mistpaw. Runningwind, step forward." The brown tabby leapt onto the ledge, looking more than a bit surprised.

"Runningwind, you were my own apprentice," Bluestar meowed, looking down at him. "You have developed the qualities of quick thinking and cleverness. I hope that you will pass these on to your apprentice." The two touched noses. Bluestar noted that Mistpaw looked quite a bit more excited than his brother.

"Swiftpaw! Mistpaw! Swiftpaw! Mistpaw!" the Clan chanted. Runningwind and Mistpaw jumped down from the ledge. Then, surprisingly, Tigerclaw and Goldenflower leapt up onto the ledge where the mentors and apprentices had stood.

"I know this is unexpected, Bluestar," Tigerclaw said, looking up at her, "but we have an announcement to make." Then he nudged Goldenflower gently.

The pale ginger she-cat looked out over the crowd, as if trying to think of what to say. Then she spoke up, a bit shyly at first, but gaining volume as she went.

"I have an announcement to make. Tigerclaw and I… we're mates." Instantly the other queens―Frostfur, Brindleface, and Speckletail―surged forward to the front of the crowd, all meowing at once.

"Oh, Goldenflower! You're so lucky!"

"Are you going to have kits soon?"

"But, who was Swiftpaw's and Mistpaw's father?" The queens all quieted as the last question was asked. Goldenflower took a deep breath before answering.

"Tigerclaw was their father." Goldenflower rubbed affectionately against her mate. "He wanted to keep it a secret until they became apprentices, though."

Yowls of congratulation sprang up from the crowd. Bluestar noticed that Fireheart was yowling the loudest of all. Behind his eyes, though, there was a cold gleam of interest. Bluestar shivered ever so slightly. _What's going through his mind?_

At that moment, Goldenflower and Tigerclaw leapt down, and the queens surged forward again, meowing their congratulations and covering Goldenflower in affectionate licks. The crowd of Clan cats broke up, and Tigerclaw went to assign some patrol or another.

Bluestar climbed down from the Highledge and headed for her den. The full moon had come, and that meant a Gathering as soon as night fell. Bluestar was already stressed from her meeting with the codeless cats, and she wanted to get as much rest as possible between now and nightfall.

Sunset came and went. By the time the full moon had risen, Bluestar had her party of cats organized and ready to go. She had asked both Fireheart and Tigerclaw to come to the Gathering. Also among the cats were Whitestorm, Longtail, and Graystripe. Frostfur and Goldenflower were near the back of the group, chatting amiably while Yellowfang padded near them. The two new apprentices, Mistpaw and Swiftpaw, were also along.

As Bluestar trotted at the front of the group, Fireheart sidled up to her.

"Bluestar? May I talk to you?" The silvery leader glanced back at him and nodded.

"Take the lead, Tigerclaw," she called. Tigerclaw dipped his head and bounded away, even as Bluestar slowed. In a moment, the ThunderClan cats were gone, and Bluestar was alone with Fireheart.

Bluestar leapt onto a fallen log, sat, and curled her tail around her paws, all the while looking intently at Fireheart. "What is it?"

Fireheart hesitated for a long moment. Bluestar cocked an ear to the side. The noise of the pawsteps made by the others was fading away. If Fireheart didn't hurry with it, they would be late. "Speak," she ordered.

"Ravenpaw's not dead," Fireheart declared. Bluestar let her tail twitch with surprise, but she kept silent. "Graystripe and I took him up to the farm, past WindClan's hunting grounds. I think he may have joined Barley." Bluestar stayed silent for a moment. She had suspected as much―Ravenpaw had never been perfectly suited for life in ThunderClan.

"I am glad to hear that Ravenpaw is still alive," Bluestar mewed calmly. "I hope he is happier living with Barley than he was in the forest."

"But he was born into ThunderClan," Fireheart reminded her.

"That doesn't necessarily mean he was suited to Clan life," Bluestar countered. "After all, you aren't Clanborn, yet you've become a fine warrior. Ravenpaw may find his true path elsewhere."

"But he didn't leave ThunderClan because he wanted to," Fireheart protested. "It was impossible for him to stay."

"Impossible?" Bluestar asked, resting her gaze on the young warrior. "What do you mean?"

"Ravenpaw knew a secret about Tigerclaw," Fireheart mewed―with certainty. "I think to Tigerclaw was planning to kill him, or at least turn the Clan against him."

_What's this?_ Bluestar questioned, flicking her tail from side to side. _First Spottedleaf tells me I should pin my own rule-breaking on Tigerclaw. Now Fireheart comes to me and accuses the same cat of trying to kill his own apprentice! Is _everyone_ out to get my deputy?_

"Why would you think that?" Bluestar demanded of the ginger warrior. "What was this secret that Ravenpaw knew?"

"That Tigerclaw killed Redtail in the battle with ShadowClan."

Bluestar narrowed her eyes, furious at this mostly-ungrounded accusation against her loyal deputy. _That is _it!_ Tigerclaw is the humblest, most honorable warrior I've ever known! This ends now._

"A warrior would never kill another of his Clan! Even you should know that―you've lived with us long enough." Fireheart recoiled at her sharp words, flattening her ears against his head. Bluestar went on, still furious. "Tigerclaw reported that it was ShadowClan's deputy, Boulder, who killed Redtail. Ravenpaw must be mistaken. Did he actually _see_ Tigerclaw kill Redtail?"

"H-he said he did," Fireheart answered, nervously flicking his tail.

"And you know that by saying this, you are questioning Redtail's honor, because he must have been the cat that was responsible for Boulder's death? One deputy would―would never kill another in battle, not if it could possibly be avoided. And Redtail―was the most honorable warrior I have ever known." Bluestar swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew that it was her fault that Redtail had died, her fault that Boulder had killed him. _That's not important! _Her thoughts yowled at her. _You can untangle your mistakes later. Now is the time to clear Tigerclaw's name!_

"I cannot account for Redtail's actions," Fireheart murmured. "I only know that Ravenpaw truly believes Tigerclaw was responsible for Redtail's death."

Bluestar sighed. She needed to calm down.

"We all know Ravenpaw has a vivid imagination," she meowed, trying to think of other ways to discredit Fireheart's accusation. "He was badly injured in the battle, and left before the fighting was over. Can you be sure he didn't fill in the parts he'd missed?"

Before Fireheart could answer, a yowl sounded off in the forest and Tigerclaw came bounding through the undergrowth.

His gaze flickered suspiciously over Fireheart before he turned to Bluestar, "We're waiting for you at the border."

"Tell them we'll be there in a moment," Bluestar instructed. Tigerclaw dipped his head, turned, and raced back through the brambles.

Bluestar stood, ready to return to the Clan. Fireheart, though, didn't seem quite ready to go.

"Are you going to bring Ravenpaw back to the Clan?"

"He is probably happier where he is," Bluestar replied. "For now, we will let the Clan carry on believing he is dead. Tigerclaw is a great warrior, but he is very conservative. It will be easier for him accept that his apprentice died in battle rather than ran away. And it would be better for Ravenpaw, too."

"Because Tigerclaw might go looking for him?" Fireheart asked hopefully. Bluestar shook his head impatiently. Why was her former apprentice so eager to blame Tigerclaw for this?

"No. Tigerclaw might be ambitious, but his ambition is for the good of his Clan. He is _not_ a murderer. Ravenpaw will be better remembered as a dead hero than a live coward."

Tigerclaw's call came again, and Bluestar leapt off of the leg and dashed away into the forest.

Bluestar raced up to the head of the waiting group and signaled with her tail.

"Let's go!" Together the ThunderClan cats raced away into the night, heading for the Gathering island.


	3. Yowls and Unsheathed Claws

Tigerclaw

RiverClan and ShadowClan had already arrived and were seated on the island in small groups. After a moment's hesitation, Bluestar flicked her tail, and ThunderClan padded across the log and into the clearing on the island.

Tigerclaw padded toward a group of older warriors. Among them, he recognized Darkflower of ShadowClan and Stonefur of RiverClan, along with a sleek, mottled golden she-cat.

"Greetings," Tigerclaw mewed, padding up to sit near them. "Stonefur, Darkflower."

"Hello, Tigerclaw," Stonefur meowed. "This is Leopardfur, a senior warrior of our Clan." Tigerclaw dipped his head to the she-cat as he sat down.

"How is Mistyfoot?" Tigerclaw asked, directing the question at Stonefur.

"My sister is fine," Stonefur replied. "She'll be moving to the nursery soon, though."

"Oh?" Darkflower asked. "Who's the lucky tom?"

"Ask Mistyfoot," Stonefur replied, nodding at a blue-grey she-cat sitting on the other side of the clearing. "She'll be more than happy to tell you."

"I heard about your promotion at the last Gathering, Tigerclaw," Leopardfur meowed, glancing at him with piercing dark amber eyes. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Tigerclaw replied politely. "And how is your deputy?"

"Oakheart is just fine," Leopardfur mewed. "But Crookedstar put him on guard duty tonight." A quiet purr escaped from the dappled she-cat's mouth. "No cat can say Crookedstar shows favoritism towards his deputy!"

A loud yowl echoed across the clearing, and the warriors turned towards the leaders' tree. Bluestar stepped out to speak first, the moon washing her fur in a brilliant silver light. Tigerclaw couldn't help a shadow of doubt creeping through his head. He remembered what Darkstripe had said about her meeting possibly breaking the Code. Then he shook himself. Darkstripe, for once, was wrong. This was the best leader in ThunderClan history.

"ThunderClan brings to this Gathering their new medicine cat, Yellowfang," she announced formally. Most of the cats in the clearing turned to look at the old, flat-faced she-cat. Yellowfang was visibly uncomfortable, but then she locked eyes with Runningnose, the new ShadowClan medicine cat. Yellowfang relaxed.

"We also bring two newly named warriors―Fireheart and Graystripe." The Clans politely cheered the two warriors' names, with Tigerclaw cheering more quietly than those around him. He had nothing against Graystripe, but there was definitely something about Fireheart that bothered him.

"As well as two new apprentices," Bluestar added. "Swiftpaw and Mistpaw." The Clans also hailed the apprentices―and this time, Tigerclaw was cheering loudest of all. After all, the apprentices were his sons.

"Finally, Tigerclaw and Goldenflower have announced their decision to become mates." Every cat in the hollow turned to look at Tigerclaw and Goldenflower. Several queens near Goldenflower murmured their congratulations on becoming the deputy's mate. Tigerclaw's whiskers twitched in amusement as he watched. _They have no idea._

Nightpelt of ShadowClan brushed past Bluestar, taking his place in front of the other two leaders.

"I, Nightpelt, have taken over the leadership of ShadowClan," he announced. "Our former leader, Brokenstar, broke the warrior code and we were forced to chase him out."

_Yes, we know,_ Tigerclaw thought, a bit impatiently. Across the hollow, he caught sight of Graystripe murmuring something in Fireheart's ear. He would never trust that orange cat.

"The spirits of our ancestors have spoken to Runningnose and chosen me as leader," Nightpelt continued. "I have not yet traveled to the Moonpool to receive StarClan's gift of nine lives, but I will make this journey tomorrow night while the moon is still full. After my vigil, I will be known as Nightstar."

"Where is Brokenstar now?" yowled a voice from the crowd. Tigerclaw looked over and recognized Frostfur, sitting right next to Goldenflower.

"I think we can assume that he has left the forest with the other banished warriors. He knows it would be dangerous for him to try to return," answered Nightpelt.

"I hope so," Frostfur murmured to her neighbor, a sleek silver-and-white queen.

RiverClan's leader Crookedstar stepped forward. "Let's hope Brokenstar has had the sense to leave the forest for good. His greed for territory threatened us all."

Yowls of agreement sounded across the crowd of cats. When they had died down, Crookedstar continued.

"While Brokenstar was ShadowClan leader, I allowed him to hunt in our river. But now ShadowClan has a new leader, and this agreement can no longer stand. The prey in our river belongs to RiverClan alone."

Mews of triumph and agreement rose from the gathered RiverClan cats, but Tigerclaw noted, with some alarm, that Nightpelt was bristling.

"ShadowClan has the same needs that it had under Brokenstar!" Nightpelt yowled. "We have many mouths to feed, Crookedstar. You made an agreement with the whole of ShadowClan!"

Crookedstar leapt to his paws and turned on Nightpelt, hissing, ears flattened. Silence instantly settled over the cats on the island.

Bluestar quickly stepped between the two leaders.

"ShadowClan has suffered many losses recently," she mewed softly. "With fewer mouths to feed, Nightpelt, do you really need RiverClan's fish?"

Crookedstar gave a threatening hiss, but Nightpelt didn't flinch.

Bluestar yowled again, her voice higher, "You have just driven out several of your strongest warriors! And Brokenstar went against the warrior code when he forced Crookedstar to agree to share the river."

Tigerclaw swallowed nervously as Nightpelt unsheathed his claws. Bluestar, however, didn't blink. Her icy blue eyes glinted in the moonlight. "Remember that you have no even received your nine lives from StarClan, Nightpelt. Are you so confident you can make these demands?"

Cats in the crowd began to bristle with tension, waiting for Nightpelt's reply. Near Tigerclaw, Leopardfur and Darkflower turned to each other, fur bristling and eyes narrowed. Before rivalry could become enmity, however, Nightpelt looked away from Brokenstar, flicking his tail. Bluestar had won.

"We all know ShadowClan has suffered much in these past few moons," the silvery leader mewed softly. "ThunderClan has agreed to leave you in peace until you have had time to recover." She turned her gaze on Crookedstar. "I'm sure that Crookedstar will agree to show you the same respect."

Crookedstar narrowed his eyes and nodded. "But only as long as ShadowClan is not scented in our territory," he growled.

Tigerclaw relaxed, along with most of the cats on the island. _Thank StarClan for Bluestar's diplomacy._ The situation between Nightpelt and Crookedstar could easily have deteriorated into a fight. _See, she would never break the code. She's too… good._

"You won't scent us, Crookedstar," Nightpelt meowed. "Bluestar was right―we don't need your fish. After all, we have the uplands to hunt in, now that WindClan have left their territory."

Crookedstar's eyes brightened. "That's true," he agreed. "An empty territory means extra prey for all of us."

Bluestar's head jerked upwards sharply. "No! WindClan must return!"

Crookedstar and Nightpelt looked at the ThunderClan leader with confusion.

"Why?" asked Crookedstar.

"If we share WindClan's hunting grounds, it will mean extra food for all of our kits!" Nightpelt pointed out.

"The forest needs four Clans," Bluestar insisted. "Just as we have four seasons. StarClan has given us four Clans. We must find WindClan as soon as possible and bring them home."

Tigerclaw raised a yowl in support of his leader, and in a moment he was joined by several other ThunderClan cats. Crookedstar's on yowl rose above the Clan cats, however.

"Your argument is weak, Bluestar. Do we really need four seasons? Wouldn't you rather go without leaf-bare, and the cold and hunger it brings?"

Bluestar fearlessly locked eyes with the tabby leader, "StarClan gave us leaf-bare to let the earth recover and prepare for newleaf. This forest, and the uplands, had supported four Clans for generations. It is not our place to challenge StarClan."

Near Tigerclaw, Leopardfur spoke up.

"Why should we go hungry for the sake of a Clan that cannot even defend its territory?" she yowled.

"Bluestar is right! WindClan must return!" Tigerclaw hissed back, drawing himself up to his full height and glaring at Leopardfur. Nobody defied his leader.

Bluestar spoke again, "Crookedstar. RiverClan's hunting grounds are known for their richness. You have the river and all the fish in it, plus the lake and its fish. Why do you need extra prey?" Crookedstar looked away and didn't answer. RiverClan began to murmur anxiously amongst themselves.

"And Nightpelt," Bluestar went on. "It was Brokenstar who drove WindClan from their home." The she-cat paused. "That is why ThunderClan helped you to chase him out." Tigerclaw nodded approvingly. He could tell that Bluestar was gently reminding Nightpelt of ShadowClan's debt to ThunderClan.

Nightpelt half-closed his eyes. After a long, tense silence, he opened them again and meowed, "Very well, Bluestar. We will allow WindClan to return." Tigerclaw noticed Crookedstar turning his head away, eyes gleaming with anger.

"Two of us have agreed, Crookedstar," Bluestar mewed. "WindClan must be found and brought home. Until then, no Clan should hunt in their territory."

With that, the Gathering began to break up. Crookedstar leapt down from the tree and summoned his cats to head home. Nightpelt and Bluestar exchanged a few words, and then Bluestar jumped down to lead her cats home. But as Tigerclaw turned to leave the clearing, he caught a flash of anger in Nightpelt's eyes.

Could it be that Bluestar didn't really have Nightpelt's support at all?


	4. Limp and Broken

Fireheart

Bluestar swiftly led the way back to camp. The noise of the group re-entering camp alerted the cats who had remained behind. By the time all of them were inside camp, the rest of the Clan had mostly emerged from their dens.

"What's the news?" called an elder. Fireheart settled down in front of the Highledge. He had a feeling Bluestar would want to call a Clan meeting.

"Was ShadowClan there?" Willowpelt asked. Bluestar leapt up onto the Highledge. Fireheart let out a barely audible purr. _I was right. _

"Yes, ShadowClan were there," Bluestar replied. Tigerclaw leapt up onto the Highledge next to Bluestar.

"There was much tension between the Clans tonight," Bluestar began. "And I became aware of a possible now alliance between Crookedstar and Nightpelt."

Graystripe squeezed in next to Fireheart, nearly suffocating the ginger tom.

"What's she talking about?" Graystripe asked. "I thought Nightpelt agreed with Bluestar!"

_And here's one cat that will never learn to look past the surface,_ Fireheart thought disdainfully, trying to scoot away from Graystripe.

"Nightpelt?" One-eye croaked from the back of the crowd.

"He has been named as ShadowClan's new leader," Bluestar explained.

"But his name―hasn't he been accepted by StarClan yet?" One-eye mewed.

"He plans to travel to the Moonstone tomorrow night," Tigerclaw told her.

"No leader can speak for their Clan at a Gathering without receiving StarClan's approval first," One-eye grumbled, loud enough for every cat to hear.

"He has the support of ShadowClan, One-eye," Bluestar replied. "We cannot ignore what he said tonight." One-eye sniffed disgruntledly. Fireheart rolled his eyes.

"At the Gathering, I suggested we find WindClan and bring them home," Bluestar announced. "But Crookedstar and Nightpelt don't seem to want the same thing."

"They're hardly likely to join forces, though, aren't they?" Graystripe called. "They almost had a scrap over hunting rights in the river!"

"Didn't you _see_ the looks they were swapping by the end of the meeting?" Fireheart asked, barely managing to keep the disdain out of his voice. "They're both desperate to get their paws on WindClan's territory."

"But why?" Sandpaw asked. She was sitting next to Whitestorm, her mentor. _Because they're bored and want to play tag there,_ Fireheart though sarcastically. _They want them to HUNT IN IT, genius!_

"I suspect ShadowClan is not as weak as we thought they would be," Whitestorm said to his apprentice. "And Nightpelt seems to have more ambition that any cat expected."

"But why does _RiverClan_ want to hunt WindClan's grounds? They've always grown fat on the fish from their precious streams and rivers!" yowled Willowpelt. Fireheart noticed Runningwind nodding in agreement as Willowpelt continued. "The uplands are a long way to go for a few windblown rabbits!"

Dappletail, an elder, spoke up in a cracked, rusty voice. "At the Gathering, some of the RiverClan elders spoke of Twolegs taking over part of their territory."

"That's right," Frostfur agreed. "They say Twolegs have been living in shelters on their territory, disturbing the fish. The RiverClan cats have had to hide in the bushes and watch them with empty stomachs!"

Bluestar looked thoughtful. "For now, we must do nothing that may bring ShadowClan and RiverClan closer together. Go and rest now. Runningwind and Dustpaw, you will take the dawn patrol."

A cold breeze whistled through the trees and bushes of the forest above the camp. As the cats began dispersing, Fireheart gave a disdainful sniff.

_Huh!_ he though, slowly padding after Graystripe. _If_ I _were leader, I would have taken the chance to attack RiverClan while they were weak. _Still a bit disgruntled, Fireheart entered the warriors' den and settled down to sleep.

As he slept, the young warrior dreamed. He was standing in the dark. The endless roar and stench of the Thunderpath was near to him, very near to him. The young warrior was pushed and buffeted by the wind the monsters brought. Suddenly, through the noise, a high-pitched cat's wail cut through the air. Panic attacked Fireheart as he recognized the voice. _Spottedleaf. No!_ Fireheart tore forward. _Where is she? What happened?_ Then he broke through the darkness and raced out onto the Thunderpath. In the light of monsters' ghostly eyes, he caught sight of a petite tortoiseshell lying limp on the hard black ground. _Spottedleaf!_ He raced forward, but it was too late. Spottedleaf was dead, her body lying limp and broken―

Then Fireheart woke up.

He was breathing hard and his eyes were wide. Fireheart glanced around. The other warriors were all sleeping peacefully. Fireheart still felt too unsettled to go back to sleep, so he made his way out of the den and into the camp.

The sky was dark and dotted with bright stars. With Spottedleaf's wail still haunting his mind, Fireheart padded over to the nursery, ears pricked. Tigerclaw's mate Goldenflower was still sleeping there; in a few days she would return to the warriors' den. Fireheart swivled his ears again, but all he could hear was the pawsteps of Darkstripe and Longtail as the guarded the narrow entrance to the ThunderClan camp.

Somewhat soothed by the calm, quiet night, Fireheart returned to the warriors' den. _I'm sure Spottedleaf is fine… wherever she is,_ Fireheart told himself. _Maybe StarClan isn't real, but if it is, Spottedleaf is surely there. _

Stepping quietly, Fireheart found his old place and lay down. Breathing deeply, the bright ginger warrior soon fell into a peaceful sleep.


	5. The Mission

Fireheart

Some cat's nose woke him, prodding sharply into his side.

"Leave me alone," Fireheart hissed, rolling over and opening one eye. Graystripe was standing over him. _Of course. Figures. _

"Wake up!" Graystripe hissed back. _I'm already awake, you idiot,_ Fireheart mentally replied.

"We're not on patrol," he muttered, rolling back over.

"Bluestar wants to see us in her den, now."

Still feeling fuzzy-headed, Fireheart got to his feet and left the warrior's den. The air was chilly and there was frost on the trees. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon.

The two cats bounded across the camp to Bluestar's den and made announced their arrival in hushed voices.

"Enter." It was Tigerclaw's voice that hailed them.

Instantly alarm swept through Fireheart. He remembered his conversation with Bluestar before the Gathering and wondered if she had told Tigeclaw about his accusations. _She didn't believe me in the first place… she might have told Tigerclaw to see what he would say about it… if he knows, everything is ruined!_

Graystripe pushed his way into Bluestar's den, and Fireheart followed him uneasily.

Bluestar was sitting up in her nest, blue eyes shining brightly. Tigerclaw stood in the middle of the den, regarding the visitors coolly. Fireheart tried to read his expression, but the dark tabby's yellow eyes were as calm and steady as ever.

Bluestar began speaking at once. "Fireheart, Graystripe, I have an important mission for you."

"A―a mission?" Fireheart echoed. Relief spread through him, brushing away the anxiety.

"I want you to find WindClan and bring them back to their territory," announced Bluestar. Her blue gaze leveled on Fireheart and there was a clear message in her eyes: _This isn't just about WindClan. _Fireheart understood immediately, and he gave the tiniest of nods. Bluestar nodded back. She would talk to him in private afterwards.

"Before you get too excited, bear in mind this could be very dangerous," Tigerclaw reminded them. "We don't know where WindClan has gone, so you will have to follow what is left of their scent―probably into hostile territory."

"But you've been through WindClan territory, when you traveled with me to the Moonstone," Bluestar pointed out. "And WindClan's scent will be familiar, as will the Twoleg territory beyond the uplands."

"Will it be just us?" Fireheart asked.

"Our other warriors are needed here," Tigerclaw answered. "Leaf-bare is coming, and we need to gather as much fresh-kill as possible. Many hungry moons lie ahead."

Bluestar nodded in agreement. "Tigerclaw will help you prepare for the journey."

Fireheart nodded, flicking his ears. Bluestar seemed to have as much faith in her deputy as ever. _What does it take to convince her someone is evil? If only Spottedleaf were here…_ Shaking away those thoughts, Fireheart turned his attention back to the meeting.

"You must leave as soon as possible," Bluestar finished. "Good luck."

"We'll find them!" Graystripe promised. Fireheart nodded.

Tigerclaw followed them as the two left Bluestar's den. "Do you remember how to get to WindClan territory?"

"Oh yes, Tigerclaw, we were there only―"

"Only a few _moons_ ago," Fireheart finished quickly, flashing a warning glare as Graystripe. _Mouse-brain! You nearly gave away our journey with Ravenpaw!_

Tigerclaw hesitated, and Fireheart felt a prickle of fear. _Does he suspect something? _

"And can you recall WindClan's scent?" Tigerclaw mewed, causing Fireheart to let out a quiet breath of relief. _That was close. _

The two warriors nodded and assured Tigerclaw that yes, they could recall WindClan's scent. Fireheart felt a shiver of excitement run down his spine.

"You'll need herbs for strength and to keep your hunger away," Tigerclaw reminded them. "Fetch them from Yellowfang before you leave." Tigerclaw paused. "And don't forget that Nightpelt is planning to travel to the Moonstone tonight. Keep out of his way."

"Yes, Tigerclaw," Fireheart replied.

"He'll never know we were there," Graystripe promised.

"As I would expect," Tigerclaw mewed. Fireheart thought he heard a hint of pride in the large warrior's voice. "Now, go!" Without another word, he turned and headed for Bluestar's den.

"He might have wished us good luck," Graystripe complained.

"He probably thinks we won't need it," Fireheart joked, trying to keep the other young warrior placated.

It didn't take long to cross the clearing and reach Yellowfang's den. Graystripe enthusiastically announced their presence, and the thick-furred grey she-cat quickly emerged from her den.

The sight of a she-cat pushing through the curtain of moss that hung over the entrance called up more memories of Spottedleaf in Fireheart's mind. Again, he replayed his memory of the sleek tortoiseshell emerging from her den. The sunlight dappling her perfect coat, her amber eyes gleaming in the light, her perfect paws padding softly along the ground…

"I _said_, where are you going, Fireheart?"

Yellowfang's irate voice broke through Fireheart's daydream and he looked up suddenly. Yellowfang was glaring at him with annoyance in her orange eyes. Her thick fur was fluffed out and her shoulders were hunched. She obviously didn't appreciate having to get up at this hour of the morning. _Well, welcome to the club,_ Fireheart thought sourly.

"We've got to find WindClan and bring them home," Fireheart explained, resisting the strong urge to match the annoyance in the old medicine cat's voice.

"Your first warrior mission," Yellowfang rasped. "Congratulations! I thought it'd never happen. Wait a moment and I'll fetch the herbs." All signs of annoyance gone, Yellowfang turned and squeezed back into the den. A few moments later she returned, carrying a small bundle of dried leaves in her mouth. "Enjoy," she purred, setting them down. "Burnet, sorrel, daisy, and ragwort. They ought to be just delicious at this hour of morning."

Fireheart and Graystripe obediently chewed up the herbs and swallowed them. Fireheart had to really try not to gag.

"Yuck!" spat Graystripe. "Just as bad as last time!" For once, Fireheart had to agree. The herbs were terrible. Though at least last time, there had been Spottedleaf to take him mind off the taste.

Graystripe swallowed the last bit of herbs and nudged Fireheart's shoulder. "Come on, slow slug! Let's get going! Bye, Yellowfang," he added as he sprinted towards the camp exit.

"Wait for me," Fireheart called, following his friend.

"Good-bye! Good luck, youngsters!" Yellowfang yowled after them.

Fireheart raced up the slope leading out of the camp and into the forest. But before he could take another stride, a blue-grey she-cat stepped into his path.

"Hello, Fireheart," Bluestar mewed. "I need to talk to you."

**Thank you all for the reviews you've left! And feel free to critique or give ideas for the future books in this series! **


	6. Rabbit Hunting

Fireheart

Fireheart nodded and let Bluestar steer him into a small hollow sheltered by juniper bushes and brambles. Bluestar's countenance was solemn, telling Fireheart that this was serious occasion.

"You're on your way to find WindClan," Bluestar began as soon as they were settling in the hollow. "And I don't want to distract you from that. But as important as your mission is, there's something else I need you to do for me."

"What's that?" Fireheart asked.

"When you reach WindClan, you will most likely meet a cat named Mudclaw. He's prickly and obstinate, but I need you to talk to him."

"What for?"

"I need a report on his Clan. Don't worry, he'll give it to you: just tell him I sent you. He may refuse at first, but if you keep pushing he'll tell you."

"I'll talk to him," Fireheart promised. He was beginning to wonder where Graystripe was, and if the gray warrior had even realized that Fireheart wasn't with him.

"Go now," Bluestar ordered. "Graystripe will be missing you." Fireheart nodded hurriedly to his leader and left the hollow.

It didn't take him long to find Graystripe. The two warriors practically ran into each other as Fireheart shoved through the brambles.

"There you are!" Graystripe exclaimed. "Where did you go? I thought a badger got you while I wasn't looking!"

"I'm fine. Just took a detour," Fireheart lied. "Let's go."

The two headed off. They hadn't been walking for long before they ran into a patrol consisting of Whitestorm, Sandpaw, and Runningwind. _Literally_ ran into, as Graystripe nearly crashed into Runningwind.

"Sorry!" panted Graystripe, stopping. Fireheart halted next to him. Whitestorm dipped his head to them, the same mindless respect in his eyes.

"I hear you to are going on a mission," he meowed.

"Yes," Fireheart answered.

"Then may you have StarClan's protection," mewed Whitestorm gravely. _Gee thanks. A bunch of dead cats are now in charge of my safety._

"What for?" Sandpaw sneered. "You off to catch voles?"

Runningwind leaned down and murmured something in the apprentice's ear. Her expression quickly changed from one of scorn to one of guarded curiosity.

The patrol stepped aside to let Fireheart and Graystripe pass. The pair raced on and quickly left the area of the forest surrounding the camp.

Neither warrior said much as they raced through the woods. The journey was easy now, since they were still in territory that they knew, but both toms knew that once they reached the border the territory would be much more unfamiliar and the going harder.

After a while they reached the brook that separated ThunderClan and WindClan. After a pause and with some trepidation, Fireheart and Graystripe crossed the border and entered WindClan territory.

"Is it _always_ windy up here?" Graystripe asked, shivering. _Well, it _is_ called WindClan,_ Fireheart thought. Out loud he answered,

"Well, I suppose there aren't any trees to block it." The bright ginger warrior screwed up his eyes. It_ was_ windy on the moorland. The quick, stiff breezes blew the sand up into the air and tossed it into the warriors' eyes.

Fireheart sniffed the air. For a moment all he could smell was wind and sand. Then he realized that there was a… _fishy_ smell in the air.

"Do you smell RiverClan?" he asked, turning to Graystripe. The gray tom lifted his nose and then shook his head.

"No. Do you think there might be some here?"

"Maybe." _Why else would I smell them?_ "They might want to make the most of WindClan's absence, especially since they know WindClan will be back soon."

"Well, I can't smell anything now," Graystripe murmured. _Huh,_ Fireheart thought as they continued. _He's actually being quiet for once. Maybe miracles really do happen._

The two cats padded quietly along a frozen trail of sedge. The trail was sheltered somewhat by heather, but was still far more open than the ThunderClan warriors were used to.

A fresh scent stopped Fireheart in his tracks. "Can you smell that?" he hissed to Graystripe, crouching lower in the heather.

"Yes," Graystripe answered, crouching low as well. "RiverClan!"

Fireheart dropped into a crouch, keeping his ears flat and his tail still. Beside him, Graystripe lifted his head just high enough to peek over the bushes. "I can see them," he murmured. Fortunately he was being quiet. "They're hunting."

Cautiously, Fireheart stretched up to look.

Four RiverClan warriors were chasing a rabbit through a patch of gorse. Fireheart easily recognized Blackclaw from the Gathering. Next to the smoky black tom was Leopardfur, a sleek mottled golden she-cat.

Blackclaw pounced, his claws unsheathed, but came up again with nothing to show for the chase. The rabbit had bounded away was now sheltering in the safety of her warren.

Fireheart and Graystripe pressed down against the frozen ground again. "They're bad at rabbit hunting," Graystripe hissed scornfully.

"I guess RiverClan is more used to catching fish," Fireheart replied, amusement tingeing his mew. Then his nose twitched as he picked up the scent of a frightened rabbit coming near them. With a pang of dread, Fireheart heard the pawsteps of the RiverClan warriors fast approaching after it. "They're coming this way! We have to hide."

"Follow me," whispered Graystripe. "I smell badgers this way."

"Badgers?" Fireheart asked. "Are you sure that's safe…?" He'd heard more than one story about cats losing body parts from badger attacks. Taking on a badger in the forest would be one thing, but fighting one on the moor…

"I don't think there are any badgers back here," Graystripe answered. With some trepidation, Fireheart followed the grey warrior back through the heather trail.

Fireheart sniffed, and picked up strong foxlike scent. He almost stopped, but the sound of the approaching RiverClan warriors spurred him on until he reached a thick patch of heather.

"Here!" Graystripe declared, pushing aside the clump of plants to reveal a sandy hole. "Get inside! They're coming."

Cautiously, Fireheart followed Graystripe into the set. The stench of badger was overwhelming, and Fireheart shivered instinctively at it. _It's a good thing this is abandoned. _

Pawsteps thudded overhead. Both ThunderClan warriors held their breath as the steps halted and one of the RiverClan warriors yowled, "Badger set!" From the rasping, slightly deep mew, Fireheart could tell it was Blackclaw.

A second voice―Leopardfur's, from the sound of it―answered: "Is it abandoned? The rabbit may be hiding inside."

Fireheart felt Graystripe's fur bristling beside him in the dark. The ginger warrior didn't feel very at-ease at the moment either. If the RiverClan warriors came into the set, there would be no avoiding a battle. A four-on-two battle wouldn't be any help to their mission.

"Wait, the scent leads this way," Blackclaw called overhead. There was a scrabble of paws, and the RiverClan warriors charged away.

Graystripe slowly exhaled. "D'you think they're gone?"

"Maybe we should wait a bit," Fireheart suggested, letting his fur lie flat. Graystripe nodded and let silence fall over the set.

There were no sounds, but for the whistling of the wind in the heather. Graystripe nudged Fireheart. "Come on."

Fireheart cautiously followed Graystripe into the daylight. There was no sign of the RiverClan patrol. A fresh breeze blew over the two cats, and Fireheart looked around. "We should head for the WindClan camp," he said. "It'll be the best place to pick up their scent."

"Okay," answered Graystripe. They started off again, keeping their mouths slightly open to pick up the scent of any RiverClan cats in the area. The stopped at the foot of a large hill that sloped steeply.

"I'll climb up and look around," Graystripe offered, before leaping up the hill. Fireheart had no problem with this; if someone was going to be spotted, Fireheart would rather it be Graystripe than himself.

After a few moments Graystripe returned. "There's a hollow over there, and a gap in the gorse bushes. It might be the camp."

"Let's check it out," Fireheart mewed. The two moved off.

As they neared the hollow, the fire-colored warrior ran ahead to look over the edge and into the hollow.

What met his eyes was breathtaking. Below him spread a long, wide scoop in the sand, ringed by hills and gorse bushes. In the center of the hollow stood a huge rock with a large gorse bush growing against it. Near that was another large rock. The hollow had many holes in it, which presumably led to fox, rabbit and badger burrows.

Fireheart and Graystripe had found the camp.


	7. Old Habits Die Hard

Bluestar

_Okay, really. This needs to stop._

Bluestar was pacing back and forth inside her den. A trail had been worn into the sandy floor of the cave, and her nest was all but decimated from her nervous pawings at it. _My den is going to be a complete mess if this keeps up!_

Bluestar had been alone in her den, pacing anxiously, since moonhigh the night before. She was trying to think of a solution to her problem, but all she had done so far was make a mess of her usually-organized den.

Finally, with an exhausted sigh, Bluestar turned and flopped over into what was left of her nest. There she lay, regretting all that had happened since Fireheart had left.

Things had been growing tenser and tenser in the Codeless group ever since Brokenstar was driven out. Stumpytail and Clawface were becoming more demanding, as they were now rogues and had no reason to even pretend to follow the Code. Whiteclaw was growing ever more distant and short-tempered, and Mudclaw, of course, wasn't there to even out the tensions. Oakheart, when he was there, was now the only one who ever sided with Bluestar―and sometimes he didn't, depending on how Whiteclaw was feeling that night.

This most recent meeting had been the worst yet. Stumpytail and Clawface had started out by demanding juniper berries from whoever had them. When Bluestar dared to ask what they had to trade for it, Stumpytail almost clawed her whiskers off before answering that they had _a few_ mint leaves to trade. Bluestar was both intimidated and offended at the same time. When she somewhat audaciously refused to trade a valuable stock of juniper berries for a few wilted mint leaves, both Stumpytail _and _Clawface had turned on her. Only quick diplomatic action from Oakheart had saved the group from descending into a fight.

And now―now Bluestar was afraid to go back, but she was even more afraid to stay away. _This is a problem!_ her conscience screamed. _This is what you've feared happening ever since you joined that 'group'! You can't leave now. There's no way out. If you try to leave now, the others will hunt you down without stopping. _

_ This has to stop,_ Bluestar thought again. She turned, pushed through the curtain of moss and lichen, and bounded out into the camp.

It was night. The moon hung like a huge, glowing white stone in the sky. It was almost but not quite full, which meant that there would be a Gathering soon. _Oh, StarClan. I don't know if I could handle that right now._

Fortunately, there was one cat Bluestar knew of who could handle just about anything. As she reached the halfway point of the camp, the blue-grey she-cat turned and headed straight for the medicine den.

Bluestar didn't bother staying outside and calling for Yellowfang as most cats did. She pushed through the mossy curtain and padded onward into the den.

Yellowfang was curled up in her nest, but she was by no means asleep. One orange eye was open and her thick, fluffy tail was twitching. When Bluestar entered, Yellowfang sat up in her nest and stretched long and hard.

"Great StarClan," Bluestar mewed, sitting down. "Do you stay up this late every night? It's almost moonhigh!"

"Just sometimes," Yellowfang answered. "I used to stay up late because Runningnose would have nightmares at times. I guess old habits die hard." Her orange eyes grew distant for a moment; then they snapped back into alertness and looked over at Bluestar. "What did you come here for, anyway?"

"Advice," Bluestar sighed, curling her tail up around her paws.

"Ah. It's about your fox-hearted 'group' isn't it?"

"You're too smart for your own good, you old badger," Bluestar retorted. Then she sighed. "But yes, it is about them."

"What's wrong? And don't tell me you need herbs. I'm still recovering from that stock of burdock you 'borrowed'."

"I'm sorry about that, Yellowfang, I really am. But it was the only thing to be done. Now… now I don't know what to do."

"Let me guess," Yellowfang muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Things are getting more violent now, and you don't want to go back, but you're afraid that if you quit now, _they'll_ try to get their revenge on you." Yellowfang paused. "I knew this would happen, you know. Back when you and Oakheart tried to get me to join. You said it would be harmless, but I knew better."

"No, you didn't," Bluestar protested, somewhat feebly. "You said StarClan would curse us for what we were doing! That was all that kept you from joining. You just got lucky."

"Maybe I did," Yellowfang answered. "But even then, I at least knew that nothing good would come of what you were doing."

"You're right," Bluestar murmured.

"What was that?" Yellowfang asked, tilting her head.

"You're right," Bluestar declared, louder. "I know you're right. But I didn't come here for a lecture. I came here for help."

"I can't help you now, Bluestar," Yellowfang meowed quietly. "You have to make your own choices. I could consult with StarClan, if you want―"

"No! Don't ask them."

"Really? Why not?" Yellowfang asked sharply. "Are you afraid they really will curse you if they find out what you're doing?"

"Just… I want to talk to them myself," Bluestar answered weakly. "I'll go and do that now, in fact."

"I can give you something to help you sleep," Yellowfang offered, her voice quieting.

"No, I'll be fine," Bluestar answered, turning to leave. She doubted even poppy seeds would help her sleep now.

"StarClan light your path," Yellowfang called as Bluestar left the medicine den. _I wish that were true, _the blue-grey leader thought dejectedly. She slowly pushed into her den, lay down in the remains of her nest, and went to sleep.

When she woke, she was standing in a dark, gloomy forest, filled with fog and enclosed by thick, interwoven tree branches. A shudder ran through Bluestar's body. _I changed my mind. I want to wake up._ But, strangely, there was no other cat there. Not Redtail, not Sparrowfeather, not any other she-cat or tom. Just Bluestar.

Against her better judgment, Bluestar moved forward, off into the mist. She didn't know why she was doing this. But if she couldn't make herself wake up, she wanted to find some other cat.

She didn't have to wait long. As Bluestar stepped forward, a tortoiseshell cat bounded suddenly out of a bush and nearly ran into Bluestar.

At first glance, Bluestar thought the tortoiseshell was Redtail. But after a few moments, she realized that the petite, dappled cat was far too familiar to be Redtail.

"S-Spottedleaf?" Bluestar stuttered. The lithe tortoiseshell, who was indeed Spottedleaf, simply purred and sat down, delicately curling her tail over her paws. Bluestar continued to speak. "I-I thought―I mean―Why aren't you in StarClan?" Bluestar had always known that Spottedleaf was cunning―no, evil―but the tortoiseshell medicine cat had always struck her as the type of cat who would go to StarClan when she died, not this dark place.

"Oh, I did go to StarClan when I died," Spottedleaf mewed, her eyes glittering. "Just as I planned. But I walk where I choose, Bluestar. Just as I always have. I was simply catching up with some… _friends_."

"Friends?"

"Yes. Friends. You are searching for one of them, I believe. Follow me." Spottedleaf turned and bounded away, through the dark fog. Bluestar felt compelled to follow her.

Running through _this_ forest was nothing like running through ThunderClan territory. Thorns and briars grew on all sides, scratching and tearing at Bluestar's pelt as she ran through them. More than once, the fog concealed trees until Bluestar was right in front of them, forcing her to swerve to avoid hitting them. It was as if the forest had been designed to trick and deceive any travelers who dared to enter it.

Spottedleaf ran on for a long time, until she reached a sheltered clearing. There she stopped, and Bluestar skidded to a halt behind her as well.

Settled in the clearing was a single cat: a mottled brown she-cat with glowing yellow eyes. A chill swept through Bluestar and she hoped that Spottedleaf would pass the clearing by. No such luck. The tortoiseshell strode straight into the clearing and sat down, beckoning with her tail for Bluestar to do the same. Cautiously, the blue-grey she-cat approached and sat down as well.

"Greetings, Sparrowfeather," Spottedleaf mewed smoothly. The mottled she-cat nodded to Spottedleaf, and then turned her attention to Bluestar.

"Back so soon, Bluestar? You must be desperate."

"I didn't mean to come _here_," Bluestar answered, glaring at Spottedleaf. "I needed advice from StarClan."

"Oh, Bluestar, Bluestar, Bluestar," Sparrowfeather purred. "Why go to StarClan when you have us?"

When Sparrowfeather said this, Spottedleaf got to her feet and quietly left the clearing. Bluestar moved to go as well, but Sparrowfeather shook her head.

"Stay." Bluestar did as she was told. When all that remained of Spottedleaf was her scent, Sparrowfeather locked eyes with Bluestar. "Are you ready to accept our offer?"

"What… offer?" Bluestar asked weakly. Sparrowfeather purred in amusement.

"The offer Spottedleaf laid out for you. It's simple. Too simple, almost. _You_ don't have to take any of the responsibility for you've done. There's no need to! All you have to do is let the Clan think it was _Tigerclaw_ who killed Redtail and Boulder, that it was _Tigerclaw _who drove Ravenpaw away. I could go on―but you get the idea. No one will even _suspect_ you of anything if you let them believe it was Tigerclaw!" Sparrowfeather was actually full-on purring now, as if everything she was saying was hilarious. "It's a brilliant plan, really."

"_Brilliant?_ It's horrible!" Bluestar yowled back, leaping to her feet. "You honestly think that I'm going to betray my finest warrior to cover up my own mistakes? If anyone is going to take the flak for what I've done, it will be me!"

The humor in Sparrowfeather's eyes had darkened. It was still there, but it was menacing now.

"Oh really?" Sparrowfeather mewed. Her voice was dangerously low. "You know what I think? I think you'll change your mind. We can be very persuasive…" She was advancing towards Bluestar now, her eyes still shining with that dark yet humorous light. "It would be a shame, you know, if you were to somehow die in your sleep. Such a shame…" And then she lunged.

Bluestar leapt back, letting Sparrowfeather land on the hard earth. The mottled she-cat quickly recovered and bounded forward again, driving Bluestar back towards a wall of brambles. Then, before Bluestar could anticipate her, Sparrowfeather leapt and landed sideways on Bluestar's shoulders. The blue-grey leader yowled in pain and fear, twisting wildly, trying to dislodge the crazed she-cat. Sparrowfeather's claws just dug in deeper and deeper, sharp as the teeth of a badger.

"You're going to die here," Sparrowfeather murmured, leaning down to reach Bluestar's ear. "You're going to die alone here and walk this forest forever…"

With a furious yowl Bluestar leapt, twisting in the air, trying to get Sparrowfeather off. But before she could land she felt everything fading away. Sparrowfeather's claws disappeared from her shoulders, though she could still feel the pain of her wounds. And then Bluestar was lying in her nest, breathing hard, with Tigerclaw standing over her.

"Bluestar? Are you alright?" the dark tabby asked worriedly. "You were yowling and crying out in your sleep."

"Yes… yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Tigerclaw." Her deputy simply bowed his head. With a sigh, Bluestar got to her feet.

Tigerclaw gasped, his amber eyes widening. "Bluestar―you're bleeding." Bluestar twisted around and saw that several small rivulets of blood still ran from her shoulders. Suddenly Bluestar felt dizzy. _It wasn't just a dream. We were really fighting. She could have killed me…_

"It… must have been a thorn in my nest," Bluestar muttered, pushing past Tigerclaw and heading for the entrance. "I'll go see Yellowfang about it."

As she slowly padded across the day-lit clearing, Bluestar felt her problems rushing back to her mind. Her sleep had done nothing to help. _Oh, StarClan help me,_ she thought, looking longingly up at the sky. _I don't know how much more I can take of this._

As she approached the medicine den, Bluestar's thoughts began wandering to the one living cat who just might be able to help her. _I wonder where Fireheart is now…_

**Thank you all for following my story! Don't worry, some twists are coming soon! Any critiques or advice is welcome! Also, if you ever would like another opinion on your story (Or anyone's) just send me a message. Thanks for reading!**_  
_


	8. They were Terrified

Fireheart

"This is their camp, all right," Fireheart murmured, scanning the hollow.

"I can't believe Brokenstar managed to drive WindClan out of such a well-protected place!" Graystripe declared. Fireheart noticed that there were several tears in the grey warrior's fur. _Probably from all of those thorns back there,_ he thought.

"It looks like they put up a good fight," Fireheart pointed out mildly. Inwardly, he was thinking no such thing. _How on earth did WindClan expect to win this battle?_ Compared the ThunderClan camp, WindClan had almost no protection here. It was painfully obvious how badly the battle had gone; clumps of fur and patches of dried blood were little all around the camp. Mossy nests had been dragged out of the burrows and torn apart. Everywhere, the scents of ShadowClan and WindClan were mingled. _WindClan smells terrified,_ Fireheart realized. _But ShadowClan feels victorious. As well they should. Driving a whole Clan out of its territory―imagine that!_

"Let's find the scent trail out of here," Graystripe suggested, shuddering. Fireheart rolled his eyes and reluctantly followed the other warrior out. _Coward. _

The two warriors moved forward, into the camp. Fireheart searched through the main body of the camp, while Graystripe inspected the burrows lining the camp walls.

"Hmph! WindClan cats must be even smaller than I thought!" Graystripe hissed, squeezing in and out of the small holes. Fireheart didn't reply. He had picked up a pungent scent trail that was half WindClan and half fear-scent. It led from the opposite edge of the camp, out onto the moor, and then away into the distance. With Graystripe in tow, Fireheart bounded forward.

The trail led far into the uplands; farther than Fireheart had thought possible. But it was only when he and Graystripe stopped for a break at the top of one of WindClan's hills that Fireheart realized exactly where they were.

Far off behind them lay the Moonpool. Even from the hill, Fireheart could see it: a tiny clawprick of light in the dusk.

"I wonder if Nightpelt is there yet," Graystripe murmured, relaxing against the sandy hill.

"I hope he is," Fireheart replied practically. "We head into unknown territory as soon as we cross that Thunderpath. Do you realize that, Graystripe? The _last_ thing we need is to run into the new ShadowClan leader as well!"

Only as he finished his rant did Fireheart notice that the fur along his spine was standing straight up. His claws were unsheathed and digging into the ground, and the look on Graystripe's face was a mixture between shock and fear.

"I'm… sorry, Graystripe," Fireheart murmured, letting his fur lie flat and retracting his claws.

"It's alright," Graystripe answered. "You're stressed too, I know."

Fireheart just nodded, glad that Graystripe was willing to write off his outburst as stress. _I have to be more careful. Tigerclaw wouldn't have mistaken that for stress._

"Let's get moving again," Fireheart suggested after a moment. Graystripe nodded, and the two started off, slowly making their way down the slope.

"Let's check on Ravenpaw!" Graystripe meowed enthusiastically. "We left him at the Twolegs' barn with Barley, didn't we?"

"I don't think we should do that now," Fireheart pointed out, fighting to keep his frustration under control. "We're hunting for _WindClan_, remember? There's no time to lose. We should keep moving until we find them."

"Oh, right." After this Graystripe was quiet for a while, thankfully, giving Fireheart some time to think.

The cats crept down and started off again, heading away from the very outer edges of WindClan territory. The scent trail led them in the direction of a wide black Thunderpath that was crowded with monsters.

"Those poor WindClan cats," Graystripe meowed loudly. "This must have been the first time they ever saw a Thunderpath!"

_It's their own fault if they couldn't defend their own territory,_ Fireheart thought to himself. _What sort of 'Clan' gets chased out of their own territory?_

"Well, it looks like they crossed here," he murmured aloud. "Their scent is getting fainter."

"They might've doubled back, though," Graystripe counted. Exhaustion was beginning to show in his eyes and he was moving slower. "Should we search, or…"

"I'm not sure," Fireheart mewed, pausing to think. Evening was coming. If they didn't find some bit of scent soon they might have to turn back. _No one would take me seriously if they knew I'd failed my first warrior mission! We have to finish this._

Carefully, Fireheart padded out onto the quiet surface of the Thunderpath. He didn't stop until he reached the grass on the other side. There he paused, mouth wide open to check for scents, but all he could smell was the bitter, acrid smell of the Thunderpath.

Then there was deafening screech of a noise. A monster tore past just behind him, scaring Fireheart nearly out of his wits. The ginger warrior leapt into the air and darted forward, stopping underneath a thick hedge of prickly-sided leaves.

As the monster raced away, Fireheart checked for WindClan scent one last time. To his surprise, there was a trace of WindClan scent there, stirred up by the quick passing of the monster.

"Greystripe! I found something."

The plump grey tom stood up and hurried across the Thunderpath. However, by the time he reached Fireheart, the scent was gone.

"What? Did you find the trail?" puffed Graystripe. Fireheart shook his head, unsheathing his claws in frustration. "I smelled _something_, but I can't pinpoint it." Without so much as a glance at Graystripe, Fireheart pushed forward, through the prickly hedge. Graystripe followed. Both toms were on the alert for any trace of WindClan scent.

"What do you suppose is out here?" Graystripe asked―loudly. Fireheart felt his hackles rising and forced them back down.

"I don't know. I don't think any Clan cat has ever been out this far."

"Except WindClan," Graystripe corrected him.

By this time, the pair was far enough from the Thunderpath to distinguish the WindClan scent. The trail led away from the Thunderpath and straight through the field.

"Fireheart!" Graystripe called suddenly, veering off of their path.

"What?" Fireheart called back, barely keeping his irritation out of his voice.

"Look!"

Fireheart lifted his head. Ahead of them lay a Thunderpath that arched high into the air, almost like a bigger replica of the bridge that spanned one of RiverClan's streams. A second Thunderpath ran underneath and curved away, into the dark.

Graystripe was closely inspecting a thistle growing in the field. _It can't talk, you know,_ Fireheart thought. "Graystripe, what―"

"They must have settled somewhere near here!" Graystripe declared loudly, startling Fireheart. When he saw the odd look on Fireheart's face, he elaborated a bit more. "WindClan, I mean. Their scent is practically drowning this thistle! They must be nearby!" With that, the grey tom began trotting toward the Thunderpath. _I'm surprised he has the sense not to rush straight onto it._

Even as Fireheart stepped forward, Graystripe stopped and stared at the dark, bitter-smelling Thunderpath. "Why in StarClan would WindClan come to a place like this?"

"I guess not even Brokenstar would follow them here," Fireheart answered, mentally filing away Brokenstar's one shortcoming to remember later. _If I ever have to chase away my enemies, _I'm_ going to make sure no cat finds them… ever._

"They must be scared, living so close to the Thunderpath," Graystripe noted, stopping short of the black, foul strip. _No, they're absolutely happy, living here,_ Fireheart thought sarcastically. _They _love_ it!_ Then he stopped as well. Graystripe was actually right for once―the WindClan cats _were_ probably on edge.

"Wait, Graystripe," Fireheart called, even though the grey warrior wasn't moving. "We might want to stop here. If WindClan is hiding so near the Thunderpath, they must be fairly desperate not to be found. They're more likely to trust us if we arrive in daylight instead of creeping through the dark."

"Does that mean we can rest?" Graystripe asked happily, pricking up his ears. He looked more alert at the mention of rest than he had in hours. Fireheart resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Just until it's light," he answered. "We'll find somewhere the hide and see if we can get some sleep. Are you hungry?" Fortunately, Graystripe shook his head. "Good."

"Where should we sleep?" Graystripe asked, still looking excited and hyper.

Fireheart had long since noticed a dark shadow nestled near but not too near the lower Thunderpath. "How about there?"

"Is that a rabbit burrow? No, too big. Don't tell me there's a badger set here!" Graystripe meowed loudly.

"Let's take a look," Fireheart suggested, even as Graystripe zipped ahead to check it out.

The hole was larger than a badger set, smooth and lined with stone. Fireheart cautiously sniffed it as Graystripe ran ahead, thoroughly exploring the tunnel.

"I can feel air flowing," Fireheart mewed, his voice echoing out into the darkness eerily. "It must come up somewhere near the tangle of Thunderpaths over there."

"Is it empty?" Graystripe asked noisily. _You tell me,_ Fireheart mentally replied. _You're the one who's explored every inch without a thought for safety._

"Smells like it," he answered out loud.

"Come on, then! I'm tired." Actually, Graystripe looked hyper enough to go on an all-night hunting trip, but Fireheart suspected that would change as soon as his excitement wore off, so he followed Graystripe into the tunnel.

Inside, there was nothing to be smelt except for the foul, bitter fumes of the Thunderpath. A roaring noise rumbled overhead, causing the whole tunnel to vibrate. Fireheart flinched. _Are we underneath the Thunderpath?_ He fluffed out his coat against the drafty air.

Something brushed against his pelt and he tensed, ready to strike out at it. Just in time he realized it was Graystripe, circling in preparation for sleep. Fireheart crouched down himself let his body relax. He closed his stinging eyes and imagined the sunny forest back in ThunderClan territory. He let his imagination lift him up and carry him away, away to a sunny, warm, perfect forest where he and Spottedleaf could be together forever.

Soon, Fireheart was asleep.


	9. Why Are You Here?

Fireheart

When Fireheart opened his eyes again, gray light was glowing at the end of the tunnel. _Dawn must be near._ Fireheart got to his feet and stretched, groaning softly. His muscles were sore and tired, even with the short sleep he'd gotten._ Oh well. It should wear off when we get moving._ Fireheart nudged Graystripe with his paw. The gray tom quickly woke and looked up, blinking blearily.

"Ugh. Morning already?"

"Almost," Fireheart answered. Graystripe stretched and slowly got to his paws.

"We should head that way," Fireheart mewed, craning his neck to point away from the light. "This tunnel leads right under the Thunderpath, I think. It might take us closer to that... _place_ we saw last night."

Graystripe nodded in agreement, and together the two cats began padding into the quiet darkness.

Before long, Fireheart spotted a light up ahead of them. The two quickened their pace until they were racing up a short, steep slope that led into the dawn-filled world above.

The two cats had come up on the edge of a patch of ragged, dirty grass. Thunderpaths enclosed it on two sides, and another Thunder-bridge arched overhead. In the center of the grass, a small fire was burning. Near it lay a few Twolegs. One was sleeping, while another two tended the fire. None of them seemed bothered by the noise or stench of the Thunderpath.

Fireheart warily watched the Twolegs, wondering how to get past them. He was still considering this problem when movement caught his eye. Dark silhouettes were flitting back and forth on the other side of the fire. They were shaped almost like―cats. _Is that them? Is that WindClan?_ Fireheart cautiously considered whether or not to move forward. If it was WindClan, then their mission required that they go forward and talk to them. But if the cats weren't WindClan, they were back to square one.

"Fireheart? Fireheart!" Graystripe voice jolted Fireheart out of his thoughts. _Yup, I wanted every rogue in the area to know where I am. Thanks a bunch, Graystripe. _The ginger warrior took in a few breaths to calm himself, then spoke to Graystripe.

"We need to talk to them," he meowed, flicking his tail at the cats on the other side of the fire.

"Then you think it _is_ WindClan?"

"You smelled their marker―who else could it be?"

"Then we found them!" Graystripe's eyes were shining with triumph, and they had the same hyper gleam they'd had the night before when Fireheart promised rest.

Fireheart nodded. _Manipulating this cat is getting easier by the minute._ He brushed Graystripe's shoulder with his tail to keep the grey tom from springing forward towards the fire.

"Hang on," he murmured. "We don't want to startle them."

Just then, one of the Twolegs sat up with a jolt and began to shout at the ragged cats surrounding the fire. The noise roused to other Twolegs, who joined in with loud, raucous voices.

The WindClan cats scattered. All caution forgotten, Fireheart and Graystripe raced after them. Fireheart almost reconsidered when he realized that the only way through wen straight past the Twolegs, but by then it was too late.

A Twoleg staggered to its feet, looming up in front of him. Fireheart skidded, sending up a spray of dust and pebbles, and then dodged frantically. He didn't dare to glance back and see where Graystripe was. All of his energy was focused on running forward, through the Twoleg's legs, past the fire, and after the WindClan cats.

He charged into the safety of the shadow beneath the Thunderpath and crouched there, breathing heavily. Only then did he realize that Graystripe was beside him, also wheezing for breath. Some ways ahead, the WindClan cats had stopped near one of the Thunder-bridge's night stone legs. Then, one by one, they disappeared into the ground.

"Where did they go?" Graystripe asked in wide-eyed amazement.

"There must be another tunnel there," Fireheart answered, easily solving the puzzle. "Come on, let's have a look."

The two cats approached the stone leg. Fireheart quietly dropped back as they walked, letting Graystripe go first. If there _was_ something dangerous there, he'd prefer if it was Graystripe that found out rather than himself.

Just in front of the stone leg there lay a hole in the ground, similar to the one Fireheart and Graystripe had sheltered in during the night, only a bit smaller. The entrance was round and lined with stone, and it sloped steeply downward into darkness.

Fireheart let Graystripe lead the way downward. As they went, both cats were on the alert for any trace of the WindClan cats. The floor of the tunnel was wet and slimy, and Fireheart could hear the sound of trickling water somewhere near them. As the tunnel leveled out, Fireheart opened his mouth to take in the air and almost gagged. The tunnel smelled rank and bitter―worse than the tunnel they had slept in and almost worse than the Thunderpath. Here and there the fear-scent of the WindClan cats lay, mingling with the foul air.

It was too dark to see anything, but after a while Fireheart sensed a turn in the tunnel with his whiskers. He flicked his tail, touching Graystripe lightly. For once Graystripe understood the signal and stopped. Together, both cats peered around the corner.

Ahead of then, the tunnel was lit by a small hole in the ceiling that led to the wasteland above. Fireheart could see many cats huddled together in the dim light―warriors and elders, queens and kits, all pitifully thin. For an instant, a pang of sympathy ran through him, but he quickly quenched it. These cats deserved to be here. They couldn't defend their own territory, so they had been chased out. It was simple as that. The only reason he was here seeing them at all was because Bluestar had sent him.

Suddenly the tunnel shook as a monster roared overhead. Graystripe and Fireheart jumped, already tense. The WindClan cats, however, didn't move. They simply huddled with half-closed eyes, oblivious to their surroundings.

The noise died away. Fireheart took a deep breath and nudged Graystripe.

"Go," he murmured. Cautiously, Graystripe stepped around the corner and into the light, with Fireheart just behind him.

A mottled dark brown tom leapt to his feet, fur standing on end, and yowled an alarm to the rest of Clan. Far quicker than Fireheart would have expected, the WindClan warriors got to their feet and formed into a line across the tunnel, protecting the queens and elders. With their backs arched and mouths open to display thorn-sharp fangs, the WindClan cats almost looked intimidating.

Next to Fireheart, Graystripe backed up quickly, a look of dread on his face. Fireheart held his ground, determined not to be afraid of these half-starved cats.

The WindClan cats remained in their line, unmoving. _They're waiting for a signal from their leader,_ Fireheart realized. _The idiots. If a cat attacks you, you attack back! You don't wait._

From behind the line of warriors, a black-and-white tom wove his way to the front. Fireheart recognized him as Tallstar, the leader of WindClan.

The fire-colored warrior tensed, ready to defend himself if Tallstar attacked, but the black-and-white tom made no move to do so, so Fireheart remained still. _No sense starting a battle if there's no need._

Tallstar sniffed the air, but Fireheart and Graystripe were downwind, giving Tallstar no way to scent them from his current position. So the thin tom walked toward them. Fireheart remained completely still, as did Graystripe. Tallstar circled them, sniffing their fur closely, and Fireheart had to try hard to keep from gagging at the scent of crowfood that hung on the older tom's pelt.

Finally, Tallstar stepped away from them and murmured to his warriors, "ThunderClan." The warriors flattened their fur, but stayed in their defensive line, shielding the weaker cats.

Tallstar turned to face Fireheart and Graystripe and sat down, curling his long tail carefully over his paws. "I was expecting ShadowClan," he mewed tightly. Hostility was burning in his eyes. "Why are _you_ here?"

"We came to find you," Fireheart answered, careful to keep his voice even and polite. "Bluestar and the other Clan leaders want you to return to your home." He remembered the looks Nightpelt and Crookedstar had exchanged and knew that his statement wasn't completely true, but Tallstar wouldn't know that.

Tallstar's voice was still wary and guarded. "That territory is not safe for my Clan anymore."

"ShadowClan has driven out Brokenstar." Again, not completely true, but close enough. "He is no longer a threat."

The warrior behind Tallstar turned and looked at each other. Surprised murmurs began to make their way through the gathered cats.

"You must return as soon as possible," Fireheart continued. "ShadowClan and RiverClan are starting to hunt in the uplands. We saw a RiverClan hunting patrol near your camp while we were on our way here."

Tallstar bristled angrily at this. _Good,_ Fireheart thought. _We've got his attention._

"But they're poor rabbit hunters," Graystripe declared enthusiastically. "I think they went home with empty bellies."

Tallstar and his warriors purred with satisfaction, which gave Fireheart the chance to think for a moment. WindClan was weak. It would be hard―if not impossible―for them to make the journey back to their territory. If he and Graystripe left now, they might never know what had happened to WindClan. Somehow, Fireheart doubted that Bluestar would consider their mission fulfilled if that happened.

"May we travel with you?" Fireheart asked tactfully. Tallstar's amber eyes flashed. He knew the question was really a veiled offer of help. For a moment he just looked at Fireheart. Then he nodded.

"Yes," he mewed. "Thank you."

Fireheart abruptly realized that he hadn't introduced himself or his companion. He hastily mewed,

"This is Graystripe." He dipped his head, somewhat hesitantly. "And I am Fireheart. We are warriors of ThunderClan."

"Fireheart," repeated Tallstar thoughtfully. Light was flooding through the hole in the ceiling now, highlighting Fireheart's handsome orange pelt. "The name suits you."

Another monster rushed overhead, momentarily blocking out the light. Fireheart and Graystripe flinched. Tallstar watched with amusement before flicking his tail. The line of warriors behind him broke up.

"We shall leave at once," the black-and-white leader announced, getting to his feet. "Are we all fit for the journey?"

"All except Morningflower's kit," replied a mottled brown tom, the same tom that had first seen Fireheart and Graystripe.

"Then we must take turns carrying him," replied Tallstar.

The WindClan cats shuffled forward, and Fireheart again noticed how thin and exhausted they looked. He shrugged it off as a tortoiseshell queen stepped up alongside him, holding a tiny kit gently by the scruff of its nick. The little creature's eyes were hardly open.

"Ready?" called Tallstar from the front of the group. A black tom with a bent, twisted paw glanced around and answered for the Clan.

"Ready."


	10. I'm Fine

Tigerclaw

Tigerclaw padded quietly through the camp, towards the warriors' den. He was so deep in thought that he almost missed the entrance.

He was worried about Bluestar. She seemed to be growing more and more distant and lost in thought these days. Two nights ago she had quietly slipped out of camp and returned close to moonhigh, when she thought no one was watching. Tigerclaw himself had been on watch and had seen her leave and return, though he pretended he hadn't. And then there was this dream―the dream Bluestar had woken from bleeding and bruised. There couldn't possibly have been a thorn in her nest as she claimed. Her nest was all but destroyed―though how that had happened was a question in and of itself.

Tigerclaw pushed his head and shoulders into the warriors' den and called out a few names.

"Whitestorm and Runningwind. You can come with me on the morning hunting patrol as soon as Mousefur, Longtail, and Sandpaw get back from the dawn patrol." Tigerclaw turned and left the den. In a few minutes, Whitestorm and Runningwind had joined him in the main part of camp.

"Should we bring our apprentices?" Whitestorm asked. Tigerclaw's gaze flicked to Runningwind. "Just Mistpaw. He needs to work on his hunting, doesn't he?" Runningwind confirmed this with a nod of his head. He then left to rouse Mistpaw for the patrol.

As Runningwind and Mistpaw emerged from the apprentices' den, Longtail and Mousefur pushed through the bramble-covered entrance to camp. Sandpaw was just behind them, carrying a good-sized blackbird. Whitestorm directed his apprentice to leave her catch on the fresh-kill pile before joining Tigerclaw and Runningwind as they left camp.

Tigerclaw led the patrol up into the heart of ThunderClan territory. He let Whitestorm leave to hunt a little ways from a nice, wooded area where he and Runningwind could help Mistpaw with his hunting.

"Now, Mistpaw," Runningwind began when they were settled in the clearing. "What have you learned about hunting so far?"

"Um, well," Mistpaw started, looking up at the tree branches far above them. "Try to keep your tail straight when you're stalking―so it doesn't hit something and scare the prey. You should always step lightly, and―"

"Why should you step lightly?" Runningwind interjected.

"Um, because of mice," Mistpaw answered, obviously still thinking. "They can feel you coming through the ground, right? So you should step lightly to keep them from feeling you."

"Correct," Runningwind mewed, pride shining in his eyes. Tigerclaw felt just as proud of his son's knowledge and skills. "Now," Runningwind continued, "why don't we try out some actual hunting? Remember to stay quiet."

Mistpaw jumped up to his paws, nodding excitedly. He and Runningwind moved off into the forest, while Tigerclaw went in a different direction.

Almost instantly, the ThunderClan deputy spotted a plump mouse moving around the thick roots of a tree. He dropped into a crouch, moving forward ever so silently, getting closer to the mouse with every step.

All at once he leapt. He landed easily with the mouse right in between his paws. One quick bite later, the mouse hung limp from Tigerclaw's jaws as he moved on to find a spot to bury it.

He never got a chance to. Before Tigerclaw had gone five steps into the forest, there was a loud rustling, and a dark brown blur flew out of the bracken and cannoned straight into him, knocking the sturdy warrior back a few paces.

When the blur stopped moving, Tigerclaw identified it as Dustpaw, breathing hard. He looked as if he had run all the way from camp without stopping.

"Dustpaw! What's wrong?" Tigerclaw asked. Between gasps, Dustpaw managed to choke out his message.

"Rogues… attacking… Bluestar's patrol… trapped… abandoned… twolegplace…" That was all Tigerclaw needed to hear. He took off in the direction of the abandoned twoleg nest, calling back over his shoulder, "Tell the others, Dustpaw!" The poor apprentice gave a single nod before taking off again in the opposite direction, still panting heavily. Tigerclaw, meanwhile, poured all of his concentration into tearing towards the battle.

As he approached the abandoned nest, Tigerclaw began hearing the sounds of battle: cats yowling in anger, fear, and pain; fur tearing; warriors calling instructions over the other noises.

Tigerclaw burst into the twoleg nest and saw that the battle wasn't going quite as badly as he had imagined. A ThunderClan patrol consisting of Bluestar, Longtail, Darkstripe, Willowpelt, and Sandpaw were slowly beating back a five- or six-strong group of rogues. Still, Tigerclaw wasn't going to let his Clanmates fight unaided. He leapt into battle, almost instantly targeting a scruffy-looking grey tabby. Tigerclaw leapt into the air, landing half-on top of his opponent's shoulders. The tabby yowled in surprise and whirled around. Tigerclaw slid his claws deeper into his opponent's shoulder, feeling satisfaction as blood trickled out of the wound. The rogue gave a furious yowl and lunged into a forward roll that managed to dislodge Tigerclaw. Undeterred, the dark tabby whirled and dashed over to Bluestar.

The ThunderClan leader was up against a creamy tabby she-cat that was about her size. When Tigerclaw bounded up, the creamy she-cat took one look at him and tore away, out of the nest. Tigerclaw moved up, a bit closer to Bluestar.

"How goes the battle?"

"Fine," Bluestar answered tightly, chasing away a black tom with one swipe of her claws. "Yellowfang will have her work cut out for her when we get back, though."

Tigerclaw gave his leader a terse nod and bounded forward towards a large brown tabby. He threw himself forward. The tabby dodged surprisingly quickly, though Tigerclaw still managed to get his claws firmly into the tabby's tail. The tabby gave a pained yowl and sprang away, out of the twoleg nest.

Tigerclaw turned toward another cat, but just then Dustpaw arrived with Runningwind, Mistpaw, and Whitestorm. When the rogues saw the reinforcements, most of them scattered. Only one or two had the courage to stand their ground, and they also quickly left when they saw that there would be no winning this battle.

"Longtail," asked Tigerclaw as soon as the rogues were gone, "What happened? Why did they attack?"

The younger warrior shrugged, "I dunno. They just jumped out of nowhere. They were surprisingly good fighters..."

"I noticed. Are you sure nothing was... different?"

"Well... They did seem to be yowling something about proving themselves. Maybe they wanted to show off?"

"Maybe..."

The ThunderClan cats regrouped in the center of the nest. The fresher cats―Tigerclaw, Runningwind, and Whitestorm―kept watch in case the rogues should return, while Bluestar checked over the other cats' wounds. Sandpaw, Dustpaw, and Mistpaw were sent back to camp to report that the battle was over.

When the ThunderClan cats returned to camp, Yellowfang was ready. The grumpy medicine cat bustled busily around the wounded cats, applying poultices to some and smearing chewed herbs on others. Willowpelt was hurt worst of all; a broad patch of fur on her shoulders had been torn off, leaving a raw, rapidly bleeding wound there. Yellowfang applied a wide patch of cobwebs to the area and instructed Willowpelt to stay in the warriors' den and rest until further notice.

Bluestar let the rest of the cats who had been in the battle have some rest, while those who hadn't were assigned to a patrol to ensure the rogues had left. As the tired warriors and apprentices moved into their respective dens, Tigerclaw joined Bluestar on a small shelf of rock underneath the Highledge. She seemed distracted, like she wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her.

"It's a good thing there weren't more rogues to deal with," Tigerclaw meowed softly. Bluestar nodded absentmindedly.

"Yes. Though we should not assume that there won't be more rogues to deal with."

"True." Tigerclaw paused for a while before continuing. "Bluestar―have you been… alright lately?"

"What do you mean?" Bluestar asked, confusion flitting across her face.

"I mean―about your nightmare," Tigerclaw mewed, nodding still-fresh slices on Bluestar's shoulders.

"I'm fine, Tigerclaw," Bluestar meowed. "You shouldn't worry about me so much." She turned her head to look out, across the neat ThunderClan camp. "I'm absolutely fine. I do wish Fireheart was here though…"


	11. Why Did I Agree to This?

Fireheart

The orange sun rose over the Thunderpath, silhouetting the distant hills against the morning sky. Fireheart and Graystripe turned and made their way back to the tunnel entrance. There they waited while the WindClan cats emerged, blinking, into the daylight. Some of the elders screwed their faces up against the light, and Fireheart guessed that they hadn't been outside of the tunnel for a while. Either that, or they were naturally hideous and grumpy. The second option was more probable. Tallstar padded out of the tunnel last and then headed up to the front of the Clan once again.

"Should we take you back the way we came?" Fireheart asked. "I believe it's a shortcut."

"Is it safe?" Tallstar responded warily.

"We met no trouble coming here," Fireheart answered. Another half-truth.

Tallstar flicked his tail, and Fireheart could tell that he was trying to decide whether or not it was wise to trust a cat he had never met. This leader seemed smarter than the rest.

"Good," he finally declared. "You come with me, Graystripe. Show me the way. Fireheart, travel beside the Clan. Tell my deputy if you see trouble."

"Which one is he?" Fireheart asked. Tallstar nodded toward the black tom with the twisted foot.

"Deadfoot." Fireheart stifled a purr. Nice name.

Fireheart left Graystripe with Tallstar and padded over to walk beside the WindClan cats. He briefly wondered whether Graystripe would be able to find the way back, but he brushed these doubts away. Tallstar seemed able enough to find the way, even if Graystripe was no help at all.

As the Clan made their way under the Thunder-bridge, Fireheart remember Bluestar's _other_ set of intructions: _Find Mudclaw and ask for a report on his Clan._

Stealthily, Fireheart dropped back until he was walking next to the mottled brown tom, the one who had first spotted him and Graystripe.

"Hello," he mewed politely. "Could you perhaps point me a tom named Mudclaw?"

The mottled tom gave him a disdainful glare. "You're lookin' at him."

_Oh._ Fireheart felt his pelt heating up with embarrassment. "Well, uh, I need to talk to you."

"What do you want?" Mudclaw asked impatiently. His tone conveyed an obvious lack of respect for Fireheart.

"A report on your Clan," Fireheart snapped, losing his cool for once. The sudden answer didn't seem to bother Mudclaw.

"Oh yeah? And who's makin' me give it to you, fox-heart?"

"Bluestar," Fireheart snapped back. That got Mudclaw's attention. His hackles dropped flat and his ears pricked up in interest.

"Oh? Bluestar, you say?"

"Yes. She wants a report on your Clan."

"Well." Mudclaw thought for a moment, then spoke again. "Well, listen up, 'cause I'll only say this once. Tallstar and Deadfoot are doing okay. We've got two queens in the nursery at the moment―or they would be in nursery if we had one. Barkface is fine and hasn't taken an apprentice. We've got three warriors, each with an apprentice."

Fireheart nodded, filing away the information to tell Bluestar later.

"Tell 'er this that this information wasn't free. Now leave me alone," Mudclaw ordered. Fireheart nodded and moved up, not bothering to thank the older tom. _Well, that's done._

By this time the Clan had reached the tunnel where Fireheart and Graystripe had sheltered the night before. Tallstar entered the tunnel with Graystripe, and the rest of the Clan followed until only Fireheart and Deadfoot remained.

"Are you sure it leads to daylight?" the dark tom mewed warily.

"It just leads under the Thunderpath," Fireheart answered in annoyance. Tallstar and Mudclaw had given him hope that WindClan was actually bright, but Deadfoot appeared to be just as idiotic as Graystripe. "Has your Clan never used it?"

"When _our_ warriors cross the Thunderpath, they prefer to see where they're going," Deadfoot growled. "You go first."

Fireheart padded down into the hole, silently cursing the idiocy of Clan cats. He walked without stopping soon and emerged to find the WindClan cats staring across the field that led to the final Thunderpath. _As if they've never seen a field connected to a Thunderpath. _Ahead, Tallstar was consulting with Graystripe. After a few minutes the cats started off again into the long, frosted grass. Fireheart followed on one side of the Clan, while Deadfoot took up the other, limping steadily. _How did a disabled cat like _him_ ever become deputy?_ Fireheart wondered sourly.

Before they were halfway across the field, Fireheart began to see cats lagging behind, and some stopping altogether. _Weaklings,_ Fireheart thought. He wouldn't have slowed down if Deadfoot hadn't called ahead to Tallstar.

"Tallstar! We need to travel slower!" With this Deadfoot dropped back to help some of the cats who were lagging behind. With a small sigh, Fireheart padded back to help as well. _Can't have them thinking I'm a complete fox-heart, after all. Even if I am._

He padded over to the tortoiseshell queen―Morningflower, was it? She was panting heavily, and Fireheart again noted the size of her little kit. It couldn't have been long since she had kitted.

"Let me carry your kit," Fireheart offered, trying to appear gracious. "Just until you've caught your breath."

Morningflower glanced warily at him, and for a moment Fireheart thought she had seen through his act. But her eyes softened when they met his, and she put her kit down gently. Fireheart picked it up, trying to keep the little creature from bumping up against his legs.

Fireheart was forced to go slower to keep the kit from swinging back and forth in his jaws. The little kit began to mewl as he walked. The noise was high-pitched and annoying. _Stupid kits. Stupid WindClan! _Fireheart thought in frustration._ Why in StarClan did I agree to do this?_

Tallstar had slowed his pace a little but not too much, and a short while later, Fireheart and Morningflower reached the hedge. By the time they got there, the rest of the WindClan cats were gathered around Tallstar.

"We cross the Thunderpath here," Tallstar announced above the noise of a monster racing past. The WindClan leader then squeezed under the hedge, closely followed by Graystripe and Deadfoot.

Morningflower leaned over toward Fireheart and took hold of her kit. Fireheart willingly let go of the little kitten's scruff, glad to be finished carrying it. As she turned away she brushed her cheeks against Fireheart's. Again, the flame-colored warrior felt his pelt heating up with embarrassment. _Is she trying to _flirt_ with me?_ Shaking his head in disgust, Fireheart slid forward, under the hedge, and came up on the other side.

Tallstar and Deadfoot sat staring wordlessly at the wide black Thunderpath. Graystripe stood beside them, shifting impatiently from one paw to the other. On Deadfoot's right stood a young brown tabby tom. As Fireheart approached, Tallstar flicked his tail at the younger warrior. "This is Onewhisker," he mewed to Fireheart.

A monster sped past, almost drowning out the black-and-white tom's words and whipping up a fast-moving cloud of stinging dust.

Fireheart blinked back the water that rushed to his eyes and nodded to Onewhisker. He then turned his attention back to Tallstar.

"We should try to get the Clan across in small groups," he mewed, surveying the Thunderpath critically. "Graystripe and I can stay with any that need help." He quickly looked back at the Clan leader. "That is, if you agree, Tallstar."

Tallstar nodded in agreement. "The strongest will go first. Onewhisker, take Ashfoot, Tornear, and Runningpaw."

Fireheart and Graystripe moved back to the join the other WindClan cats, who were pressed against the hedge as far from the Thunderpath as possible. Onewhisker moved forward, joined by a gray she-cat, a tabby tom, and a small light grey tabby apprentice. The four swiftly crossed the Thunderpath. Fireheart could see that Onewhisker was fearful, but the tom bravely plunged across anyway, catching Fireheart's attention.

A warrior and a queen crossed next, along with two skinny elders. These four hesitated for a long while before leaping across, half-startled, when Fireheart yowled, "Now!"

Two other groups crossed, leaving just one more consisting of Morningflower and a pair of elderly cats.

"We'll cross with you," Graystripe offered when he saw the weakened group. Fireheart agreed to help as well. He leaned forward to take Morningflower's kit, but she pulled back quickly. Fireheart shrugged and turned away. _I don't have to carry that pitiful little kit. _

"Let's go!" Graystripe yowled. He started out, flanked by one of the elders. Fireheart followed, with Morningflower on his left and the other elder on his right. A mouse probably could have outpaced the cats as they moved slowly along the Thunderpath. Fireheart tensed with every new breeze that blew. _If a monster comes now, we're all fresh-kill. Come on, hurry up!_ The other side was still more than a few fox-lengths away.

"Come on!" pressed Graystripe, for once grasping the urgency of the situation. The elders tried to hurry, but one stumbled. Graystripe had to stop and nose his back onto his feet before they could continue.

Fireheart heard the distant roar of a monster drawing closer. He nudged Morningflower none-too-gently. "Go on ahead!" he hissed, then added as an afterthought, "We'll bring the elders."

Morningflower scrambled forward, stumbling frequently. Her kit squealed loudly as it bumped back and forth. Fireheart and Graystripe dropped back somewhat, pressing up against the elders to help them along. The monster's roar grew louder in the distance and Fireheart prepared to spring forward, should they run out of time.

As the noise grew louder and louder, Fireheart turned, grabbed the closest elder's scruff, and began roughly dragging him towards the far end of the Thunderpath. The monster was in sight now, racing closer and closer every second.

As the monster loomed up, ready to crush them all, Fireheart made one final leap toward the end, dragging the frightened elder along with him. There was an ear-splitting _screech_, a wave of acrid-smelling dust, and Fireheart found himself on the outer edge of the Thunderpath next to a limp, shocked elder. The monster was racing away. It had missed them all.

Tallstar and Deadfoot bounded across the Thunderpath and quickly gathered their Clan together. Fireheart padded over to sit with Graystripe and Onewhisker, both of whom stared at him with wide, shocked eyes.

Tallstar's voice sounded near them. "We must keep going. We have a long journey ahead of us."

As the cats prepared to move off, Fireheart spotted Morningflower licking her kit busily. He was about to turn away, but the queen looked up and caught his eye before he could. She motioned with her tail for him to join her. With a sigh, Fireheart trotted over to the tortoiseshell queen.

"Is he alright?" Fireheart asked as he approached.

"Oh, yes," Morningflower answered, still showering her kit with apparently unneeded attention.

"What about you?" Fireheart continued. Morningflower didn't answer.

As Fireheart turned away, a gray queen padded up to him.

"Don't worry," she meowed. "I'll take the kit next."

Fireheart barely acknowledged her.

The Clan followed the hedge along the Thunderpath for a while before turning away to follow the path that ran through a field and towards the edge of the lake territories. The more familiar scents here seemed to soothe the WindClan cats, but the journey had obviously taken its toll; they were traveling slower than ever, and every step seemed to tax the cats around Fireheart. By the time they reached the fence at the far side of the field, it was all Fireheart could do to lift the weakest of the cats over.

Clouds were billowing up on the horizon as sunset approached. The sky grew unusually dark as they covered the sinking sun, and a chilly wind ruffled Fireheart's fur. A few drops of icy rain began to soak through Fireheart's pelt. _Well, this is gonna be fun._


	12. My Name is Princess

Tigerclaw

The first light of dawn was beginning to filter into the warriors' den, shining through gaps in the roof formed of thorn branches.

Tigerclaw awoke with the sun. Just the same as every other morning. He dragged himself wearily to his feet, stretching with a groan. Then he exited the den, careful to avoid stepping on tails. Even the biggest cat in the forest would be stupid to wake Mousefur. Period.

A few Warriors were already awake. Willowpelt was on her way back to the den after a long night guarding the camp. She gave Tigerclaw a tired greeting before disappearing into her nest. Tigerclaw spotted Darkstripe on his way to the apprentice's den.

"Hey, Darkstripe! How've you been recently?"

The dark tom purred in return, "Busy. I never knew being a mentor would be so hard."

"And all of those apprentice's put together are easier to handle then you were," Tigerclaw mewed, not untruthfully.

"Ah, don't be so dramatic, Tigerclaw. You enjoyed it!"

"Up until you almost started the largest war the Clans have ever seen by trying to attack a leader at your first gathering."

"Oh, he deserved it. Anyway, I'll see you later. I've got to get the training day started." With that, Darkstripe turned back towards the apprentices' den. Tigerclaw was glad that he had friends like Darkstripe to watch his back.

The sun was almost at it's zenith by the time the patrols had all been organized for the day. The warriors and apprentice's each went their way, eager to start a hard days work. Tigerclaw, for the first time in a long time, had almost no idea what to do with himself. Maybe he could do a quick sweep across the borders, just to double check that the border patrol didn't miss anything. It was better safe than sorry, after all. _Those rogues might want some revenge._

The forest seemed unusually quiet without the usual patrol of younger cats behind him. He watched a pair of blue jays flit through the trees high above his head, unaware that Tigerclaw was even there. He strayed towards the abandoned Twoleg nest that marked the end of ThunderClan territory, sniffing the air for any sign of intruders. All seemed safe. _Just like I thought it would be. ThunderClan warriors don't miss much._

Just when he was about to travel back down to the lake, he stiffened. A cat was watching him. He could feel the eyes boring into his back, almost like a primeval sixth sense. He slowly turned around and scanned the receding treeline near the Twoleg nest. There! A pair of bright eyes were watching him from the cover of a rotting log. He caught a bitter scent, like a Thunderpath. This was definitely no Clan cat. _Rogues._

Tigerclaw unseathed his wickedly long claws, "Who goes there?"

"So," the strange cat purred softly, "This is one of the Wildcats that I have heard so much about. I must say, you do look rather barbaric." A light brown tabby she cat stepped out of the shadows eyeing Tigerclaw critically.

"What are you doing so close to the border? Who are you?" The ThunderClan deputy growled.

"Oh, I'm merely here to admire this beautiful forest you have here. Too bad it isn't as pretty as it looks."

"What do you mean, trespasser?"

"No need to be rude. I was merely referring to the fact that you just recently banished some of the most skilled warriors in this forest, merely because they were led astray by Brokenstar." Tigerclaw took an unconscious step forward.

"Wait," he mewed, "How do you know about Brokenstar?"

The she cat cocked her head to the side, "Oh, I just happened to hear about it. I _am_ good at digging up information, if I do say so myself. I have found that cunning is far more useful then claws." Tigerclaw laid his ears flat against the sides of his head. This cat wasn't telling the whole truth. And Tigerclaw didn't like it.

"Get out of my site, fox heart, or I'll rip you to shreds." A brief shadow of doubt flickered across the she cat's eyes, but it was gone so fast that Tigerclaw wondered if he had only imagined it.

"Alright, if you're going to be so nasty about it, I'll go."

"Good."

The she cat turned to leave, but then halted, "You know, Tigerclaw, the trouble inside of the Clans isn't all Brokenstar's fault."

"What do you mean?" Tigerclaw asked warily. How had this stranger known his name?

"If you want to find out, meet me back here two sunrise's from now. I'll be waiting." Then the she cat began to trot back away from ThunderClan territory.

Just as she was about to disappear from view, Tigerclaw called out, "Wait! What's your name?"

The she cat turned her sparkling green eyes towards the ThunderClan warrior, "You can call me Princess." Then she melted back into the shadows, and was lost from view.

**Sorry for the delay. I got sick, so it took me longer than usual to post up this chapter. Again, thank you all for reading!**


	13. He's Not Like Redtail

The water was cold. But Bluestar's heart felt even colder. As she paddled across the lake and towards the island, she mentally prepared herself for another meeting with the codeless cats. This was going to be hard. Clawface and Stumpytail would no doubt be present, probably with some more outrageous demands from their exiled leader. Maybe chasing Brokenstar out of the Clans was a bad idea. Now he had no reason to follow the Code at all.

She pulled herself up out of the water and onto the dark island. Apparently she was the last to arrive. Oakheart was already arguing about something with Clawface, and Mudclaw stood slightly to the side, watching with a grim expression on his muzzle. Mudclaw! That meant WindClan was back! Fireheart had succeeded his first mission, and now there were once more four Clans in the forest. It took a few moments before the other cats noticed Bluestar's arrival. When they did, Oakheart nodded a greeting. But his eyes were as cold as ice. Bluestar almost winced under his gaze.

"What is all this arguing about?" The ThuderClan leader asked, to no cat in particular. Silence reigned on the clearing. Clawface was the first to answer, disbelief and rage written all over his ugly muzzle.

"I'll tell you what this arguing's about!" His mew was strained, as if he was struggling not to burst with anger, "A RiverClan cat died today. And Oakheart here has the audacity to blame it on us!"

"You've broken the Warrior Code once before," The RiverClan deputy hissed, "Why wouldn't you break it again?"

Bluestar's heart sank, "Who died?"

Oakheart turned his gaze on Bluestar, "It was Whiteclaw. Somecat pushed him into the river, near that gulch on the ShadowClan border. He hit the rocks and drowned helpless." So another cat had died. Death was becoming an all too common word, in Bluestar's opinion.

Clawface narrowed his eyes, "Why would we want to kill him anyway? He was the smartest cat here!"

"Well," Bluestar pointed out, ignoring his barely hidden insult,"He _did_ refuse to trade for those herbs you wanted. That could be why you killed him."

"The rest of you refused the offer too, so why didn't we just kill everyone?"

"Maybe you're just waiting for a chance," Oakheart growled.

Clawface ignored him, "We wouldn't have killed off an asset like that for such a pathetic reason!" A chill ran down Bluestar's spine. _So, a cat, a living breathing cat, is now nothing more than an asset?_ _Did _I_ think of Whiteclaw as only an asset? _Before Bluestar could respond, Mudclaw stepped closer to the other cats.

"Maybe," he mewed in his usual coarse voice, "I could shed some light on this unfortunate event." Bluestar felt her hackles rising. Mudclaw seemed bent on stirring up strife. Whether he had some kind of genius masterplan, or he was simply playing some kind of deranged game Bluestar could never tell.

For the first time, Stumpytail spoke up, "What? What do you know? C'mon, tell us!"

Mudclaw seemed pleased to divulge the information, "I know who killed Whiteclaw. It was that orange ThunderClan cat, Fireheart. Ya know, the one who brought us back." None of the other cats seemed surprised to hear that Firepaw had been the one who had fetched WindClan back. _Just goes to show how nothing is secret anymore._

Bluestar hissed at the WindClan foxheart, "That's impossible! You're lying!"

Mudclaw shrugged, looking completely uncaring, "No I ain't. Why would I lie 'bout something like that?" _Because you like stirring up fights! _Oakheart seemed just as unwilling to believe this turn of events as Bluestar.

Maybe he didn't find Mudclaw very charming either, "But what would ThunderClan gain from a pointless murder?"

Mudclaw shrugged, which seemed to be his favorite physical movement, "I dunno. All I know is that Fireheart shoved Whiteclaw into the river on purpose."

"Even if you _did_ see him," Oakheart pointed out, "You'd have no idea whether it was on purpose or not!"

Clawface purred rustily, "It wouldn't be the first time Bluestar's been at the center of a murder. Her deputies don't seem to last too long."

Bluestar shot the ShadowClan cat a withering glare, "I wouldn't talk. You practically worship a cat who lets kits do his fighting for him."

Oakheart turned to Bluestar, "Did Fireheart kill a RiverClan cat?"

"No. At least, I don't think so. I'll speak to him when I return to camp." She rose to her feet, glaring pointedly at Mudclaw.

"If he is responsible, then he must be punished," she mewed, "But if he is innocent, than you will regret that you ever mentioned his name."

Oakheart nodded in farewell, "May StarClan light your path." Bluestar couldn't even return his gaze. She simply turned around and jumped back into the water. _Fireheart wouldn't kill like that. He just wouldn't. He's not like Redtail._ She wished she could believe herself.


	14. Like Taking Honey from a Kit

Fireheart

_Do I feel guilty? Do I feel bad about what I've done?_ Fireheart pondered this as he sat alone in the center of Bluestar's den. No matter how much he searched his heart, he did not feel anything. Not a single twinge of remorse, or pang of guilt. _Good._ The flame colored tom licked his chest fur flat.

He and Graystripe had arrived back at the ThunderClan camp earlier that evening. They were instantly whisked off to Bluestar, forced to give her and Tigerclaw a full debriefing. He had told them everything. Well, almost everything. He groomed his muzzle, careful to keep his countanence clean and orderly. _It's easy. Like taking honey from a kit._ He had told them the version he wanted them to know. The version they wanted to hear. Fireheart twitched his tail impatiently. What did Bluestar want, that she had to keep him waiting like this? With boredom threatening to overcomb him, Firepaw decided to think back on the previous day. On what had really happened…

_The way had been hard, but WindClan had arrived back at its camp early that morning. It had taken nearly the whole day for the Clan to get settled, and Graystripe had decided to help. This stupid move had left Fireheart with no choice but to stick around and count the blades of grass. When the day was drawing to a close, they were finally allowed to leave, politely kicked out of the camp by Tallstar himself. They were to be escorted back to ThunderClan territory. But with the sun already setting, the WindClan warriors decided to take them on a shortcut. Of course, the brilliant moor cats got lost somehow, and led them right through RiverClan territory. That's where they encountered the patrol._

_ It was a group of three cats, maybe of them was Leopardfur, a senior RiverClan warrior. Just another story of how lucky Fireheart's life seemed to be. Surprised, the fight had started before any cat could explain themselves. Graystripe jumped at a muscular black tom with a single white paw. Whiteclaw. The new warrior was completely unmatched, and he was pushed back towards a gulch that led into a stream. It wasn't big, the drop was only a couple of fox lengths deep. Just in time, Graystripe slipped past the warrior's guard, and managed to escape away from the edge, but he wasn't quick enough to dodge Whiteclaw's next blow. The RiverClan cat's claws gouged a wound just above his eyes, temporarily blinding him with blood. Fireheart had then decided that he had to do something. It wouldn't look good if Graystripe was hurt like that, while Fireheart got out unscathed. So Fireheart lunged at the warrior, who neatly dodged out of the way. _

_"Hmmm," Whiteclaw mewed, "I recognize you. The name's Fireheart, isn't it?"_

_"That's me," Fireheart didn't get lured into a false sense of security._

_"I remember you now," his opponent circled him, "You're that cat who Spottedleaf always talked about." What? Spottedleaf had talked about him? A thrill of happiness coursed through him, but was instantly crushed by just as much sadness. Spottedleaf was dead now._

_Whiteclaw continued, "She really had you fooled, didn't she?"_

_"What do you mean? Spottedleaf never fooled anyone!" _

_"Oh," Whiteclaw purred, "If only that was true." The fight was still raging around them, but none of that mattered to Fireheart. _

_"If mew even _one_ lie about Spottedleaf, I will kill you." He growled._

_The RiverClan cat's eyes glinted in the semidarkness, "I'm not lying. She was nothing more than a fox. A conniving, lying fox. She lied to you." With a yowl of pure rage, Fireheart threw himself at the dark warrior. Whiteclaw didn't even have time to put up a defense before Fireheart crashed into him, sending him skidding over the edge of the gulch. The cat managed to dig his claws into the dirt, just avoiding plunging into the turbulent waters below. Fear flashed naked in his eyes._

_"Help!" he yowled, but his mew was drowned out by the sounds of battle. He looked up at the young warrior above him. Those green eyes were alight with the calm insanity of a murderer. Whiteclaw had seen eyes like that once before. In a cat named Redtail._

_He clambered for a better grip, feeling his claws slipping, "Look, I'll tell you anything! I'll tell you the truth about Bluestar!" Fireheart didn't even blink._

_"Goodbye." He struck Whiteclaw as hard as he could across the face, claws slicing through his fur easily. The RiverClan cat screeched in pain, and lost his grip plunging into rocks and waters below._

"Fireheart?"

The young warrior turned at the sound of his leader's voice, "Yes Bluestar?" The silver grey she cat walked into the den, her blue eyes troubled.

Finally, she mewed, "I have something very serious to ask you, Fireheart."

"What is it?" He kept his mew innocent and respectful. The news of Whiteclaw's death had been revealed the moment they had returned to camp. It wasn't secret. Of course, everyone thought it was an accident. Just a mistake. _In a way it was, _Fireheart thought, _Whiteclaw just made the mistake of insulting Spottedleaf._

"Did you kill Whiteclaw?" The question caught Fireheart off guard. Why would she ask a question like that?

"No, Bluestar."

Bluestar eyed him critically, her gaze seeming to pierce through his soul, "Are you sure?"

Fireheart fought back the urge to gulp nervously, _She knows nothing! _"Of course, Bluestar. Like I told you before, it was just a terrible accident." Then, just for good measure, he let his head droop in fake sorrow, "I can't believe a cat died. A good warrior, died for nothing."

Was it his imagination, or did Bluestar's eyes glimmer with hope? "I know, Fireheart. Sometimes, we just can't understand the will of StarClan."

"Is that all?"

The leader sat down wearily, "Yes. Thank you, Fireheart. You may leave now." As he walked out of the den, Fireheart couldn't help but wonder what secret Bluestar had. A secret that Whiteclaw thought was worthy of his life. _I'll figure it out._

Fireheart sat just underneath the Highledge with Graystripe, flicking his tail methodically. He had had a nice nap inside the warriors' den, until Willowpelt woke them up for the ceremony. That she cat seemed to be struggling with the concept of gently waking a cat up. _I feel like I just got attacked by a swarm of deranged elders._

Bluestar pushed through the bramble tendrils curtaining her den and approached the Highledge. Fireheart couldn't resist the tingle of excitement that was spreading along his spine. She was going to give him an apprentice. The kits were six moons old now, and Fireheart was easily the most talented of the younger warriors in the Clan. Training an apprentice meant he would be eligible for the deputy position―and that would be his first step to becoming leader. _Finally, things are working in my favor!_

Fireheart turned his green gaze to the nursery and saw a pure white queen approaching the Highledge, with two kits in tow. One was a thoughtful-looking ginger tomkit; the other was a grey she-kit who appeared to be unable to sit still for more than thirty seconds. _I think I want the ginger,_ Fireheart thought. _He'll be much easier to train… and control._

Then Bluestar leapt up onto the Highledge and yowled the familiar words.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

The ThunderClan cats were already pooling around the Highledge, gathering and looking up at Bluestar expectantly.

"This moonhigh," Bluestar continued, "We gather together to name two new apprentices. Come forward, you two."

The little grey she-kit bounced forward ahead of her mother, almost tumbling head over heals in excitement, while the ginger kit followed at a more sedate pace. His ears were pricked and he wore a serious expression as he approached the Highledge. _Hmm,_ Fireheart thought. _That one's a thinker. _Was that a good thing? Or a potential threat?

"From this day forward," Bluestar meowed, gazing down at the little grey kit, "until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice shall be known as Cinderpaw."

"Cinderpaw!" the she-kit squeaked, apparently unable to contain her excitement. A warning hiss came from Frostfur, and Cinderpaw ducked her head apologetically.

"Fireheart," Bluestar meowed, glancing down at the sleek fire-colored tom. "You are ready for your first apprentice. You will begin Cinderpaw's training."

_Fox dung._ That was all Fireheart could think as he realized that the boisterous, hyperactive she-kit was now his apprentice. He was effectively stuck with her for anywhere from three moons to seven. Bluestar's voice was continuing on with the ceremony, but Fireheart was almost wholly focused on his newfound problem. Training an apprentice seemed almost not worthwhile if it meant putting up with a crazed ball of annoying fluff for the next five moons.

Bluestar's strong mew was what finally snapped Fireheart back into reality. The ceremony was only half over, after all.

"And this apprentice will be known as Brackenpaw," Bluestar said, gazing warmly at the small ginger kit. "Graystripe, you will train Brackenpaw. Our lost friend Lionheart was your mentor. I hope that his skill and wisdom will pass through you to your new apprentice."

_Huh. What skill is there to pass?_ Fireheart thought bitterly as he watched Graystripe lean down to touch noses with the apprentice _he_ had wanted. _That poor kit isn't going to get a shred of 'wisdom' with Graystripe for a mentor. _

Then Fireheart realized that he should also have touched noses with his new apprentice. He stepped forward quickly and leaned down just as Cinderpaw was stretching up to reach him. Their noses collided painfully. Cinderpaw touched Fireheart's nose again, this time more gently, but the fire-colored warrior's eyes were already watering with pain, and he had to try very, very hard to keep himself from cursing out loud.

Fireheart turned to leap down from his ledge, and as he went he caught a glimpse of the Clan. Every cat seemed to have some measure of respect in their eyes. _Just imagine what it'll be like when I'm leader!_

Then Fireheart looked over at Tigerclaw. The deputy's gaze was hard and unyielding, as if to say, _I will never trust you._ The fur on Fireheart's shoulder began to rise, and he had to force it back down.

_I'll show him, and everyone else,_ he promised himself as he leapt down and headed for the warriors' den. _I'll be the model mentor! It doesn't matter what that little furball is like. I can train _any_ apprentice._


	15. I've Got a Hunch

**Thank you all for keeping up my story! Sadly, summer is winding to a close. Hope you guys had fun vacationing/partying/sleeping/eating! I'm still open to critiques and comments, and I've been trying to read more fanfiction lately, so if you have a story you want reviewed, I'd be happy to oblige! Just let me know. So enjoy the chapter...**

Tigerclaw

"Come on, do we have to be doing this?" Darkstripe leapt out of the way, Tigerclaw's paw whistling past his face.

"Just because you're a mentor doesn't mean you can't keep up your skills." Tigerclaw neatly dodged a halfhearted blow, "Come on, Darkstripe. You can do better than that!" The smaller warrior rolled his eyes and dropped into a low, weaving battle crouch. Tigerclaw immedietaly recognized the style as ShadowClan.

He warily eyed his ex apprentice, "I see you're keeping up with the different fighting styles. You've always favored ShadowClan's."

"Well," Darkstripe purred, "It's hard to forget a training session with you." Tigerclaw thought back when this grown cat had once been a tiny apprentice, drinking in information as Tigerclaw had painstakingly taught him each of the Clan's unique fighting styles. Most mentors skimmed over this, focusing on ThunderClan's techniques only. But Tigerclaw knew that the best warriors were the ones with as many options as possible.

"So," the massive warrior mewed, "Have you been passing all of this on to Dustpaw?" Darkstripe shot out a paw in a lightning fast blow, and it took all Tigerclaw's skill to roll out of the way.

"It's hard," the other warrior grumbled, "Redtail hardly taught him anything, except that the winner of a fight was always the one who was willing to be the most vicious. I've basically had to teach him from the ground up." Tigerclaw lunged at Graypaw, hitting him head on. The two cats were knocked to the ground, rolling in the dirt, each trying to gain an upper hand. Finally, Tigerclaw managed to pin Darkstripe down, with one paw on his neck and the other on his chest. Then he let his friend stand back up, and the two cats trotted towards the nearby lake to get a drink. This was their own private sparring ground. They had found it while chasing squirrels back when Darkstripe was a new apprentice.

The two old friends sat panting, both happy with the mock fight.

Finally, Darkstripe mewed, "How's Goldenflower?"

"She's happy," Tigerclaw was glad to report, "I think having to keep our relationship a secret put a lot of pressure on her. I'm glad that's over."

"Speaking of which, how is it being the deputy?"

"Well, it's a lot of responsibility. I have to organize all the patrols, and make sure I pair the strong fighters with the fast hunters and-"

"I'm not a kit," Darkstripe purred playfully, "I know what a deputy does. I mean, have you had a chance to talk with Bluestar?"

"Not very much. She has a lot on her mind, what with all the ShadowClan business going on right now. Not to mention what just happened to Whiteclaw."

Darkstripe shook his head sadly, "I never liked that cat, but I wouldn't wish death on any cat. Hearing that kind of stuff kind of puts things in perspective, you know?"

Tigerclaw nodded in agreement, "But we can't complain. We are warriors, after all. Life in the forest has plenty of dangers."

"It makes me want to do something with my life."

"What do you mean? You're already a great warrior."

"Thanks Tigerclaw, but I meant something more than that. Like... I dunno. Go see the mountains. Find a mate. Something like that."

Tigerclaw purred at his old apprentice, "You used to say things like that all the time when you were an apprentice. About going to the mountains, I mean. Not finding a mate."

Darkstripe rolled his eyes, "I think I was a little young to be thinking about those kind of things."

"I guess so. Anyway, why _don't_ you find a mate?"

"I just haven't met the right she cat, I guess. Maybe some day." The two old friends sat in silence for a while.

Then Darkstripe mewed cautiously, "Well, not to change the subject or anything, but have you thought about what I said?"

"What do you mean-"

"About Bluestar." The silence was instant and uncomfortable.

Tigerclaw shuffled his feet, "You're saying that Bluestar is secretely breaking the Warrior Code. You're saying that the leader of ThunderClan is a hypocrite, and a lier."

Darkstripe sighed heavily, "Look, Tigerclaw, I don't like this any more than you do. But it makes sense! That would explain the long walks in the woods, the suspicious behavior," he paused for a second, "Maybe… maybe even Spottedleaf's death." Tigerclaw was on his feet in an instant. No matter how close he was to Darkstripe, he couldn't make such an outrageous comment.

"What?!" The dark warrior howled, "You're calling her a murderer?"

The warrior's yellow eyes hardened, "I'm just saying that's a possibility."

"Well then, what is it that she's supposed to be doing?"

"I don't know! I just have a hunch."

"You and you're mouse brained hunches! You're making baseless attacks on our leader's honor!"

The young warrior shot to his feet, teeth bared, "What do you expect me to do?" Darkstripe hissed, "Ignore the obvious? Sit back and wait to be surprised like every other cat when she betrays us?!" Tigerclaw fell silent.

He didn't know why, but he suddenly blurted out, "I might know how to get some answers."

Darkstripe's eyes widened, "What? How?"

Tigerclaw suddenly just felt tired, "I met a rogue the other day. She goes by the name of "Princess". She told me that the forest problems weren't all Brokenstar's fault. She said that if I met her next sunset she would explain." Darkstripe sat silent for a moment. All of the fury was gone from his deep yellow eyes.

"You'll have to meet her then." He mewed finally.

Tigerclaw shook his head, "She'll just make up some lies or something. She might even try to ambush me."

A glimmer of humor returned to his friend's eyes, "Well, that won't wouldn't work out too well for her, would it?"

The deputy shrugged, "I guess not."

"Look," Darkstripe explained, "If you go, and she gives you bad information then you can just forget it and move on. But if she gives you the truth, that'll be invaluable."

"I guess you're right. Thanks Darkstripe."

"Don't mention it, rock head."


	16. Your Twisted Friends

Bluestar

"So…" Yellowfang mewed, trying to break the awkward silence, "You gave Fireheart an apprentice. How long has he been a warrior? A moon?"

Bluestar just shrugged, annoyed that Yellowfang had brought up the subject, "Well, he seems promising. I want to see how he'll handle Cinderpaw."

"That little cat will have him going insane in no time!" Bluestar couldn't help but purr. Cinderpaw was renowned throughout ThunderClan as being _the_ most active kit ever created. She even tried to "invade" RiverClan once. She almost made it to the lake before a surprised Runningwind had caught her. _That goes to show how lucky RiverClan can be._

Bluestar had decided to spend the day helping Yellowfang. The medicine cat may be a veteran, but that didn't mean she couldn't use a little company every once in a while. _And that's a leader's job. To serve the Clan. Even the grumpy medicine cat._ Bluestar found Yellowfang interesting. She had only heard rumors of her life in ShadowClan, and those rumors had spoken of hardships that Bluestar could only imagine. And yet, this grizzled old she cat had never once turned to the codeless cats for help. Never once had she dreamed of breaking the Warrior Code.

She handed Yellowfang a clump of catnip, "How are you?"

"Oh, tired, achy, and annoyed. In other words, life is normal," Yellowfang eyed Bluestar playfully, "Why do you ask?"

"It can't be easy to switch Clans. I could never imagine leaving ThunderClan."

A sad look passed over the medicine cat's eyes, "I know. That's what sets you apart, Bluestar. Despite anything that you might do, you are always thinking of your Clan."

Guilt wrapped its filthy claws around Bluestar's heart, "I wish that were true."

Yellowfang stopped organizing a pile of poppy seeds and turned to look her leader in the eye, "Never believe that, Bluestar. Despite what you might think, I know what you've done. Even with those cats you meet with. But you always put ThunderClan's welfare ahead of your own. I've seen that in your decisions."

"You don't know that. I'm just as bad as Clawface and the others."

A violent emotion flashed across Yellowfang's gaze, "If you start believing that you only care for yourself, you'll start only caring for yourself. I don't think that's happened to you yet."

Bluestar let the silence reign for a few moments before mewing, "Do you ever miss ShadowClan?"

Yellowfang nodded, "Every day. Sometimes I wake up, expecting to be surrounded by pines and marsh. But I don't regret leaving. I couldn't do what Brokenstar was asking me to do. And now, ThunderClan is my home."

"Are you ever worried about what would happen to ShadowClan without you? After all, you're one of the most experienced medicine cats in all the Clans."

"Runningnose is a good cat. We all may tease him about his inability to cure his own cold, but he wouldn't have lasted as my apprentice without talent. ShadowClan is in good paws. It doesn't need me. ThunderClan does." The silver she cat didn't argue. ThunderClan did need the best medicine cat around. Especially these days. Bluestar glanced out of the small cave. The sun was beginning to set, barely visible over the edge of the ravine.

Bluestar glanced back at Yellowfang, "Well, I'd better be going."

Yellowfang looked a little sad, "Alright, Bluestar. Thank you for your help today." Bluestar murmured a quick "your welcome" and padded quickly out of the den. The warrior patrols were just starting to return from their various patrols, and Bluestar spotted Fireheart padding across the clearing, his new apprentice trailing behind him. They hadn't had time to leave the camp since the apprentice ceremony because Tigerclaw had insisted that the camp defenses needed to be reorganized. Little Cinderpaw had looked very disappointed when she had heard that she would be stuck inside camp for another day. Fireheart didn't seem to mind.

She entered her den, circling her nest once before lying down to rest with a grateful sigh. The day had been a welcome reprieve from the usual pressure of being Clan leader, but it had still been tiring. She had barely closed her eyes before she fell asleep.

"You're not very bright, you know." Bluestar winced at the scathing scorn in the mew. She was back. Back in the place where StarClan didn't exist, and where evil was perfectly at home.

"Shut up, Spottedleaf." The beautiful medicine cat purred musically.

"Oh, Bluestar," Spottedleaf's amber eyes twinkled, "You never fail to make me purr."

Bluestar's ears flattened against the sides of her head, "Why did you bring me here, fox? I'm sure it wasn't to trade jokes."

"Sadly not. Actually, you're here because you're little friend wanted to see you."

A worm of fear burrowed through Bluestar's heart, "Redtail?"

Spottedleaf shook her head, "No, not this time. Just Sparrowfeather. She isn't very happy with you. You shouldn't have made her angry…"

"It was either that, or accept your twisted bargain."

"And that brings us back to the beginning. You, my good friend, are not very bright at all."

"I am not one of your twisted friends!" Bluestar hissed.

"Ooh," a new mew sounded from behind Bluestar, "Such hostility."

The ThunderClan leader turned to see Sparrowfeather emerge from the shadows, her mottled brown coat blending with the uncertain lighting, "You again. I thought I gave you my answer. I'll never join you."

The small she cat ignored her, "You seem to think that it's all about you. That you'll be the only cat affected if you are discovered for what you really are. You've broken quite a lot of the Warrior Code in your lifetime."

Bluestar narrowed her blue eyes, "What do you mean? Of course I'll be the only cat affected!"

"How about your Clan? How would they react to having a leader who's a Code breaker?" Sparrowfeather had triumph written all over her muzzle.

"Well," Bluestar mewed, thinking on her paws, "They'll turn to my deputy. He'll handle it."

"Not if he's framed for the same crimes you are," this time, it was Spottedleaf who spoke, "After all, it makes sense that the leader and deputy are working together."

Bluestar purred humorlessly before mewing, "But I won't tell them that. I'll say I did it on my own."

"You're not the only cat we can manipulate, Bluestar."

"What?! You can't manipulate me! I'm…" She trailed off as what Spottedleaf had said sank in, "Who else can you contact."

Sparrowfeather purred, "Not only contact, but control. Your newest warrior is quite respected, is he not? And to my knowledge, he was quite infatuated with Spottedleaf."

_They could control him, _Bluestar realized, _they could do whatever they wanted. _

"Keep him out of this."

"Only _you_ can do that, Bluestar. Frame Tigerclaw, and we'll leave Fireheart alone."

"I-I'll have to think about it." Bluestar stammered.

"Fine," Sparrowfeather mewed, "We'll give you until the next full moon. It's half moon now. I would think carefully, if I were you Bluestar. We're not cats that you want as your enemies."

_But could I trust you as allies?_


	17. I Said Follow!

Fireheart

Spottedleaf's mesmerizing amber eyes stared down at him, full of life and humor. Fireheart felt as if he could stare into them forever. Spottedleaf's perfect face was alight with joy that made his heart ache. They sat in a meadow of flowers. Just the two of them. Fireheart couldn't imagine anything more wonderful. Then there was a flash of claws. A spray of blood. Spottedleaf was no longer standing beside him. Her delicate body was splayed out over the flowers, flecks of crimson red staining her soft fur.

Fireheart sat bolt upright in his nest, his heart pounding. Then grief threatened to choke him once more. Spottedleaf was dead. _I'll never love another cat. _He up at the gray, morning sky, slightly obscured by the brambles of the warriors' den, _I'll find who killed her. And they'll beg for death before the end._

Then he noticed Graystripe was sitting up in the nest beside his. The gray warrior's yellow eyes were wide open, and his thick fur was fluffed out. The warrior was so still that Fireheart began to wonder after a moment if he was really awake or simply sitting there dead. _That would be a stroke of luck._

"Graystripe?"

Graystripe jumped. His eyes went wide and his head swiveled around to look at Fireheart.

"Um, are you okay?" the ginger warrior asked.

"I'm fine," Graystripe answered, sitting up straight and giving his chest fur a light lick. Fireheart shivered. Even nestled in between the warm bodies of the other warriors, he could feel the chilly morning air seeping through his fur.

"It looks cold," Fireheart meowed, puzzled by Graystripe's silence. _Not that that's a bad thing. _Graystripe nodded vigorously.

"It is!" _Well, someone's a little overenthusiastic._

Fireheart sat up and tasted the air. Over the stink of his clanmates, he could detect a light frost. The scent made Fireheart want to burrow back down into his nest and sleep for the rest of the day.

"What are you going to do with Brackenpaw today?" he asked hopefully. _Maybe I can get Graystripe to take Cinderpaw along with him._

"Show him the forest," Graystripe answered. Fireheart waited for the usual burst of enthusiasm, but Graystripe seemed oddly subdued. So Fireheart went with Plan B.

"I could bring Cinderpaw, and we could travel together," he offered.

"It might be better if we travelled alone today," Graystripe replied. Fireheart felt his heart sink. _Great. Now I'm stuck with little Cinderfluff, on my own. Thanks a lot._

"Fine," he mewed in a miffed tone. "I'll see you later."

"Why don't we share a mouse later and compare apprentices?" Graystripe asked.

"Sure," Fireheart mewed absently. "Yah, that'd be fine."

Fireheart stretched his legs and then crept out of the warriors' den. The air outside of the den was even colder. His breath swirled up from his muzzle like smoke, and again Fireheart wished that he didn't have to take his apprentice out.

The frozen ground felt like stone under Fireheart's paws as he trotted towards the apprentices' den. When he poked his head inside, Cinderpaw was fast asleep. Her paws and muzzle were twitching, as though she was in the midst of a particularly exciting dream.

"Cinderpaw," Fireheart called. The apprentice didn't move. Fireheart reached one paw into the den and prodded the little she-cat in the side.

Instantly Cinderpaw's head popped up.. Fireheart couldn't help but notice the young apprentice's huge blue eyes as they widened and focused on him.

Then, in one blurred motion, the apprentice leapt to her paws and bounded from the den, leaving her nest in a crumpled heap.

Fireheart backed out of the apprentices' den and turned around to see Cinderpaw bouncing hyperactively from place to place, never taking her enormous kit-blue eyes off of him. He let out a tiny, barely audible groan. _Spottedleaf help me. She's worse than Graypaw was!_

"What are we doing today?" Cinderpaw mewed, her ears pricking up as she spoke.

"I thought I'd take you on a tour of ThunderClan territory," Fireheart answered.

"Will we see the Thunderpath?" Cinderpaw asked eagerly, the second her mentor was finished speaking.

"Er, yes, we will," Fireheart replied. _And what a surprise you'll get when you see what a dirty, stinking place it is, you little ball of hyperactive fluff._ "Are you hungry, Cinderpaw?"

"No!" Cinderpaw shook her head. She was still shifted excitedly from side to side.

"Oh. Okay." Fireheart had personally been looking forward to a warn mouse or vole from the fresh-kill pile, but it looked like that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. "We'll eat later." Fireheart then turned toward the camp entrance. Cinderpaw didn't move. "Well, follow me."

"Yes, Fireheart." Again the she-cat looked up at him, her blue eyes sparkling like frost in the sunshine. Fireheart had to force himself to turn away and bound toward the entrance.

As soon as he moved, however, Cinderpaw was off like a shot. She raced past her mentor and charged up the slope that led the bramble-covered entrance. Fireheart had to break into a run to catch up. His still-stiff muscles protested loudly.

"I thought I said to follow me!" he called as they leapt up the slope together.

"But I want to see the view from the top!" Cinderpaw protested.

Fireheart leapt after her, not taking the time to reply. He sped up and soon overtook the smaller cat, allowing him to slow down a bit as he made his way to the top. He then pushed through the brambles and sat down on the other side. As he waited for Cinderpaw, he began to daintily wash one foot.

By the time the little grey apprentice reached the top of the slope she was panting, but no less enthusiastic.

"Look at the trees! They look like they're made from moonstone!" she declared loudly, if breathlessly. A new problem occurred to Fireheart and he nearly groaned aloud. _Teaching her to hunt is going to be a pain in the tail. She can't even talk a decent volume._ He let out a small sigh. _When I'm leader, I'm never training another apprentice. Ever. Again._

"Try to save your energy," Fireheart warned. "We have a long way to go today."

"Oh, yes. Right. Okay. Got it. Which way now?" Cinderpaw began shifting from side to side again impatiently, kneading the ground with her paws as she did so.

"Follow me," Fireheart meowed. He narrowed his eyes at her. "And this time I do mean _follow_!"

He led the way along the edge of the ravine, into the mossy hollow where he had practiced hunting and fighting with Graypaw and Ravenpaw.

"This is where most of our training sessions will be held," he explained. "A river can through here a long time ago. Now it runs up along the border with WindClan." He gestured in that direction with his tail. "I caught my first prey near there."

"Awesome! What did you catch? Was it big?" Cinderpaw didn't wait for an answer. "Will the lake be frozen now? If it is, can we invade RiverClan? Let's look and see if there's ice!" With that she charged at full tilt down into the hollow, ran straight through it, and headed toward the lake.

_There's not going to be a piece of prey left in the territory by the time we're finished,_ Fireheart thought wearily as he propelled himself into a run again. _Stupid little―_

The rest of Fireheart's thoughts faded into a sort of haze as he ran after his apprentice. Within a few minutes he had managed to catch up with her, and together they stopped by the side of the stream.

The sides of the lake had frozen and were crusted with sparkling ice, but the swiftness of the rushing water as it poured between its banks had stopped it from freezing over completely.

"You wouldn't catch much there now," Cinderpaw mewed, eyes still wide. "Except fish maybe."

"Stay clear of the water," Fireheart warned, backing up a bit from the fast-flowing stream. "Leave the fishing to RiverClan. If they like getting their fur wet, let them. _I_ prefer dry paws."

Cinderpaw also backed up from the edge and then padded in a restless circle. "What now?"

Fireheart had a sudden idea. He was about to announce it out loud, but though better of it and bounded away instead.

"The Ancient Oak!" he called back over his shoulder. Cinderpaw charged after him, her short, fluffy tail sticking straight out behind her.

Fireheart had visited the Ancient Oak more than once and knew the way there well. He sped through the forest, never slowing down for fear of letting Cinderpaw get ahead of him. After a few minutes, the two cats reached the huge tree, which grew on the edge of the lake. Fireheart skidded to a stop and began to weave his ways through the now-brown ferns. Cinderpaw followed.

When they reached the massive oak, Cinderpaw finally came to a complete stop and stared, open-mouthed, at the huge tree. Then she mewed just one word.

"Whoa!"

"Huge, isn't it," Fireheart meowed. "This is a good place to come squirrel-hunting. They like to look for the acorns that this tree drops."

"Cool!" Cinderpaw declared. She was weaving back and forth underneath to the ferns now, still focused on the tree. It looked as though she was trying to spot the top.

"Smallear claims that he climbed all the way to the top branch when he was an apprentice," Fireheart added.

"No _way_!" Cinderpaw mewed.

"Mind you, when Smallear was an apprentice this tree was probably only a sapling," Fireheart said. However, the already lame joke was lost on Cinderpaw, who had rushed off again into the grass. With a long, hefty sigh, Fireheart ran after her.

As he tracked his apprentice through the forest, Fireheart began picking up a rich, earthy scent, one he had smelt only a few times before. _The tunnels._ Cinderpaw was headed for the few openings in the ground that led to a network of underground tunnels, which connected ThunderClan territory with WindClan. Fireheart sped up, hoping against hope that Cinderpaw wouldn't decide to explore the openings. It wasn't that he cared so much about Cinderpaw's safety; but it would be pretty awkward to explain to Bluestar how he had let his first apprentice get crushed by the tunnels.

As Fireheart emerged from the tree he saw that Cinderpaw had indeed found the tunnel entrances. She was perched on the edge of the downward slope, blue eyes shining with excitement.

"Come on, Fireheart!" she called happily. "Race you to the bottom!" _Great StarClan no!_

"Cinderpaw!" Fireheart yowled, springing forward. "Get away from there!"

He held his breath as Cinderpaw turned and scrambled away from the tunnel entrance, fur fluffed out in fear. When she was far enough away, Fireheart came toward her.

"This is one of the entrances to the tunnels," he explained to the wide-eyed apprentice.

"Tunnels?" Cinderpaw asked curiously.

"They connect our territory with WindClan's," Fireheart explained. "And that may seem neat to you, but one wrong move in there could bring a whole section of those tunnels down on your head!"

Cinderpaw's eyes went even wider, and Fireheart realized that he might have scared her a little too much with his description of what could happen in the tunnels. He bent down and gave her a quick, if somewhat awkward, lick on the head. _She tastes disgusting._

"Come on," he mewed. "Let's go see the Thunderpath."

Immediately, Cinderpaw brightened up again. "Race you there!" And then she was off.

_Spottedleaf help me,_ Fireheart thought as he propelled himself into a run for the umpteenth time that day. _If I ever get through her apprenticeship it'll be a miracle!_


	18. A New Enemy

Bluestar

The island was especially cold that night. Bluestar shivered, kneading her paws on the ground in a futile attempt to keep warm. She was early. The only other cat here was Mudclaw. It was strange that ShadowClan were late. They were almost always the first to arrive.

As if on cue, three forms emerged from the black waters of the lake, stepping into the moonlight almost reluctantly, as if even straying _that_ far from the shadows was difficult. Then Bluestar's heart almost stopped. There, standing in plain view, was Brokenstar. Bluestar unsheathed her claws and dropped into a crouch. _Why is that fox heart here?_

"Greetings, Bluestar. It's been a long time."

"You monster!" She hissed, "Why are you here? Come back to steal more kits?"

The ex-ShadowClan leader narrowed his eyes, "It would be wise not to insult me, Bluestar."

"And it would be wise for _you_ to leave the Clans alone," growled Oakheart, flattening his ears as well. He was bigger than Brokenstar, and Bluestar knew that the rogue wouldn't dare attack him one on one.

"We're not leaving _anyone_ alone until we get what Brokenstar wants."

Bluestar regarded Clawface coldly, "I used to think that you had at least a little bit of brains inside that ugly head, but you just proved me wrong. You're just blindly following a rogue. Look where it's got you so far."

Brokenstar didn't leave Clawface time to reply, "Getting kicked out of the Clans was more of a help than a harm. At least now I don't have to pretend to care about that stupid Warrior Code. And I still have my best warriors. Something you should keep in mind."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Oh no. I'm just pointing out that if it comes down to it, we're ready to fight, and we're ready to win. I would be careful if I were you."

"We beat you once, we can do it again." The two leaders glared at eachother, one Clan, one rogue.

Then Mudclaw broke the hostile silence, "So, why did you come here, Brokenstar?" His mew didn't carry any of the hostility that Bluestar's and Oakheart's had. _Is he loyal to the Clans at all?_

"I just wanted to let all of you know," the cat replied, "that I'm watching. I don't want you to keep refusing my cats like they're annoying kits. Because that annoys me. And annoying me has some _very_ serious consequences."

Bluestar began to pad back towards the water, "Don't think you can force us to do anything you want."

Brokenstar lowered his ears, "You be careful what you say. You were lucky to get your kits back alive once. Maybe next time that won't happen."

Bluestar didn't even glance back, "Last time we beat you with a squad of our average warriors. Next time, we'll bring Tigerclaw." Then she waded into the water, and paddled away from the island.

She padded through the forest, back towards ThunderClan. There was something relaxing about the forest at night. There was no sound except the hooting of a far away owl. The stars peeked through tiny gaps in the canopy of leaves overhead. Bluestar let out a sigh of contentment, the first in a long time. ThunderClan was worth all of this. Then, a strange scent reached her nose. Bluestar whipped around, instantly on the alert. Then, to her shock and horror, Oakheart stepped out from behind a tree.

"_Oakheart?_" Bluestar mewed, unable to keep her surprise out of her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"The meeting broke up right after you left," Oakheart responded, his amber eyes shining in the light of the moon. Bluestar was about to reply, but Oakheart continued before she could. "Well, that's not important. I've been trying to find you, Bluestar. Trying to get you alone."

The urgency in Oakheart's voice stopped Bluestar. She looked up at the larger tom, her own blue eyes widening.

"Why?"

Oakheart's eyes softened, and in them, Bluestar could see worry. Whatever Oakheart's news was, it was important.

"Stumpytail and Clawface. At the last… er, Gathering, they told me, Whiteclaw, and Mudclaw that they wanted to kill you."

"K―kill me?" Bluestar repeated, her voice rising with near-panic. "_Kill me?_"

"Shh!" Oakheart cautioned, but Bluestar barely heard him.

"Why?" she demanded.

"How should I know? All they said was that they wanted you dead. I came to warn you, to tell you to watch your back. And whatever you do, don't―"

"Bluestar!"

Bluestar flinched. It was Dustpaw, most likely sent by Tigerclaw or Yellowfang to find her. She turned back toward Oakheart.

"You have to go. Now. I'll be careful, I promise."

"I know you will." Oakheart's eyes softened. "Goodbye, Bluestar." Then he turned and bounded away into the undergrowth, in the direction of the WindClan border.

A minute later, Dustpaw burst through the undergrowth and skidded to a stop in front of Bluestar.

"Bluestar!"

"What do you need, Dustpaw?" Bluestar asked calmly.

"Tigerclaw asked me to come find you―just to make sure you were, you know, safe."

Bluestar took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Dustpaw. I'll be back in camp soon."

The brown tabby apprentice nodded and bounded off again. Bluestar began the walk home, making sure to stay alert for danger.

_Why would they want me dead? _Bluestar thought, _Does this have anything to do with Sparrowfeather and her mousebrained deal? _But deep in her heart, Bluestar knew that that wasn't the case. She was dealing with a new enemy here.


	19. Against Everything We Believed In

Tigerclaw

_This is probably really stupid,_ Tigerclaw thought to himself, _But if Darkstripe thinks it could be useful, then I probably have to go through with this._ He was waiting near the abandoned twoleg nest, wondering if, and when, Princess actually would show up. _And what will she have to say?_ The evening was drawing to a close, and Tigerclaw knew that he couldn't stay out too late, or he would draw suspicion. _I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm helping ThunderClan. Besides, Princess is only one cat. There's no reason to be afraid._ But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to completely believe that. Suddenly, the bushes on the far side of the nest rustled, and the strange she cat stepped once again into view. Tigerclaw noticed that her fur was surprisingly well groomed for a rogue. Normally they were too busy surviving to worry about shiny fur.

"Welcome, Tigerclaw," Princess mewed, "I see that you've come. You're willing to listen to what I have to say."

Tigerclaw shrugged, feigning indifference, "Well, I don't have to believe you do I?"

Princess nodded, "True, true. But I would advise you to keep an open mind on what I may tell you. It could save your life."

"What do you mean, _may_ tell you?"

"Well," the rogue licked her paw and drew it back over her ear, "That all depends on what _you_ tell _me._"

Tigerclaw was taken aback, "Wait, why do I have to tell you anything? I'd rather die than give away ThunderClan secrets!"

Princess purred, "Oh no, I don't want to learn about ThunderClan. I want to learn about Tigerclaw." Tigerclaw was even more confused.

"What do you want to know about me?"

"Do you like being deputy?"

The question caught him off guard, "Well, yes actually. I guess I do."

"Do you consider yourself the best warrior in the forest?"

Tigerclaw shrugged, "I guess I'm pretty good. I bet a lot of cats are smarter than me, though."

"Do you like being controlled?"

Again, she managed to surprise Tigerclaw, "What? I'm not controlled!"

She rolled her eyes, a very kit like expression, "Oh come _on_. Do you obey Bluestar?"

"Without question!"

"So would it be right to say that she controls you?"

This puzzled Tigerclaw, "Maybe… But she doesn't control how I think. I _ choose_ to obey."

"So you want to be controlled?"

Tigerclaw lashed his tail, "Enough! It's my turn to ask the questions."

"Fair enough."

"What are you trying to accomplish?"

She paused for a moment before answering, "I'm trying to gather knowledge. And I must say, I do believe I am succeeding." Gathering knowledge? What kind of an answer was that? Why would a cat want to gather knowledge? Maybe this cat was just a curious rogue… But that didn't explain her strange knowledge of Clan behavior. Or her supposed information. The information that Tigerclaw had come here to find out.

"What is it you were telling me about last time we met? About the problem's not being all Brokenstar's fault?"

Princess paused to consider this. Tigerclaw realized that this rogue was a lot smarter than he was giving her credit for. Finally, she answered, "You know about the Warrior Code… right?"

"Of course! Even the youngest Clan kit knows about that!"

"Yes, I know. Anyway, the Code binds all cats, with exceptions only given to special cats, such as medicine cats. It sets a strict code of conduct… Like a Law. With such strict rules, every cat works in a specific way. The warriors hunt and patrol. The kits play. The queens stay in the nursery. The four Clans generally leave eachother alone. Now this may or may not be the best system out there, but it _is _a system. That's why inter-Clan relationships are so rare, and so scandalous."

Tigerclaw nodded in understanding, but he still didn't quite see where Princess was going with this.

She must have noticed the look on his face, "Don't worry, I'm getting to the point. Well, there are some cats who understand this system better than others. And they can exploit this in certain ways. For example, the leader of, what was it? Ah yes, WindClan. Well, he exploited the system to rise through the ranks and become leader. He played his cards just right, and became the top of the heap relatively quickly. Those cats are looked up to. Then…. Then there are the cats who exploit the system in less pleasant ways. These cats have banded together secretely, each coming from their own respective Clans, and they meet every so often. At these meetings, they make deals, such as trading herbs for prey, or land in return for information."

She paused for a moment to let her words sink in. Tigerclaw couldn't understand what he was hearing.

"But," The warrior stammered, "That's against the Code! That's against everything we have ever believed in! A warrior must be loyal to his Clan above all others! Even himself!"

Princess shook her head sadly, "This is why what they do is possible. All of the other cats are blind to their treachery."

Tigerclaw's gaze darkened, "I refuse to believe you! This is stupid! You're just trying to spread lies!"

The she cat shrugged, "Believe what you want. If you want to learn more, come visit me again the night after the next Gathering. Good bye." And once again, the mysterious rogue disappeared into the undergrowth.

Tigerclaw dug his claws into the soft moss beneath his paws. What she said was impossible! No cat would do such a terrible thing! He wished this made him feel better, but it did not. Because deep in his heart, he suspected that what she said might be true. Maybe… Maybe Darkstripe could be right after all.


	20. Pleasantly Surprised

Fireheart

_This is the longest patrol I've ever been on._ Cinderpaw was hopping around like some kind of possessed butterfly, and Fireheart's patience was long gone. He decided to try and scare the little furball.

"Cinderpaw!" He called out, "Be careful! Sometimes Twolegs walk with dogs around here." Cinderpaw didn't even hear him. With a sigh, he sniffed the air. Something smelled… familiar. And it wasn't anything to do with ThunderClan.

"Look!" exclaimed Cinderpaw, "It's a kittypet! Let's chase it out!" The cat in question was a light brown she cat. Fireheart stopped in his tracks. He knew this cat, and he couldn't let his idiot apprentice get in the way of him finding out exactly who it was. Right before Cinderpaw sprang, Fireheart promptly stomped on her tail.

"YEOW!" Cinderpaw leapt straight up in the air, and the kittypet jumped with surprise before quickly bounding towards a Twoleg nest.

"Oops." Fireheart mewed, not sorry at all.

Cinderpaw sighed moodily, "I wanted to chase her! I bet Brackenfur chased hundreds of kittypets today."

"That's great for him."

The trip back to the camp was almost as torturous as the rest of the patrol. The entire time Cinderpaw whined about the kittypet, and when they finally got back to camp, Fireheart "suggested" that she go talk to Brackenfur instead. Maybe he could finally get a bit of peace and quiet.

His muscles ached from the trip to WindClan, and he was not in the mood to interact with anycat, especially not one from this forest of imbeciles. So he felt like shredding something when he saw Graystripe beckoning to him from beside the fresh kill pile. _Why me?!_

"Here," mewed Graystripe as he approached, "I got you some fresh kill." Firepaw snatched the mouse from him and lay down, in a terrible mood.

"Have a good day?" he mumbled.

Graystripe, of course, was blissfully happy, "Better than yesterday! I enjoyed it! Brackenfur's a fast learner!" _Lucky piece of fox dung_.

"Cinderpaw's…. great… too."

Graystripe simply ignored him, "I kept forgetting that I was the mentor and not the apprentice!" _Just goes to show how smart you are._

"Me too." Having finished his mouse, Fireheart excused himself and padded off towards his nest. This was just about the worst day ever.

The sun shone down on him like a great, lidless eye. Blood covered his paws. Sticky, red and everywhere. Then he gazed down at the unmoving form at his feet. His gaze met the sightless eyes of the one cat he had ever loved. Spottedleaf.

He jerked awake with a yowl, his heart pounding.

Runningwind rolled over with a groan, "Keep your stupid dreams to yourself, mousebrain."

Firepaw turned on him with a hiss of rage, his green eyes blazing with a primeval fury, "Don't. Ever. Say. That. Again. Or I will kill you." For a brief moment, a whisper of fear passed through Runningwind's heart. He had never seen this side of Fireheart before. Than, the orange cat slumped back into his nest, and sank into a deep slumber.

Fireheart awoke as the rays of sun fell down upon his pelt. He stood up with a groan, pleasantly surprised to find that he _did_ remember who that kittypet had been. It was his sister.


	21. There's Something Wrong Here

Tigerclaw

Tigerclaw was starting to form a system out of his delegating. He tried to join a good amount of the patrols he assigned, and he also tried to help with some of the fortifications that were being formed around the camp. But he also allowed himself decent portions of rest; and he tried to have some time with Darkstripe, Longtail, and especially Goldenflower, whenever they were off duty.

But right now, none of that mattered very much. All of Princess's talk about exploiting systems was buzzing through Tigerclaw's head like bees in the spring, and that left little room for thinking about everyday Clan life. _Could Bluestar be one of those Code breakers? Or is it all just a lie? Maybe the Code breakers don't even exist!_

Tigerclaw sat down at the entrance to the camp, his head still full of these strange thoughts. As he tried to make heads or tails of them, he looked out over the ThunderClan camp.

Brindleface was just squeezing out of the nursery with three kits in tow. Tigerclaw nodded to her as they passed, and Brindleface nodded back.

Over by the apprentices' den, Whitestorm called for Sandpaw, and the pale ginger apprentice raced of the den just in time to follow the mid-morning patrol as it bounded out of camp.

Tigerclaw caught a flash of bright ginger in the corner of his eye, and he turned to see Fireheart padding across camp. The young warrior's green eyes looked distant, as though he was deep in thought. As Tigerclaw watched, the fiery coated cat padded up to Graystripe, exchanged a few words with his friend, and then bounded out of camp.

_Huh. Odd._ Tigerclaw wondered where Fireheart was going. He was tempted to follow the younger warrior to see where he went, but he knew it was more important for him to stay in camp. He did have duties, after all, and Bluestar might need him. _I won't lose my loyalty to my leader, no matter what a rogue says. _So the dark tabby turned away, promising himself that he would talk to Fireheart about it later.

There was a flash of blue-grey next to him, and then Bluestar was standing there, also watching the Clan.

"Greetings, Tigerclaw," she mewed. Tigerclaw responded by dipping his head and flicking his tail. Bluestar nodded back, but an action in the camp caught her eye and she turned that way, flicking her ears. "That's odd."

"What?" Tigerclaw asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Graystripe. He's leaving to train with Brackenpaw _and_ Cinderpaw. Where's Fireheart?"

"I saw him leaving camp just a bit ago," Tigerclaw meowed, narrowing his eyes further. "He must have convinced Graystripe to take both apprentices for the day. Only _he_ would try that."

"Tigerclaw," Bluestar snapped, her voice turning sharp. "Watch yourself. You have no reason to speak or think ill of Fireheart. I'm sure he has a good reason to leave Cinderpaw behind this morning."

"I apologize, Bluestar," Tigerclaw mewed back, dipping his head again. Then he lifted the tip of his tail. "I'll go ask Graystripe about what Fireheart intended to do." The dark warrior stood and trotted over to where the gray tom was trying―and apparently failing―to keep both apprentices under control.

"Graystripe?"

Graystripe started and looked up, his yellow eyes wide.

"T-Tigerclaw? What do you want?"

"Where did Fireheart go?" Tigerclaw asked, gesturing at the camp entrance with his tail. "Did he tell you?"

"H-he said―said he wanted to check out something he saw, you know, yesterday. Might've been dangerous. He left Cinderpaw with me."

Tigerclaw hid a purr. Graystripe was obviously ill-prepared to handle a rambunctious apprentice like Cinderpaw.

"I can see that, Graystripe," Tigerclaw said. He paused, by the gray warrior said nothing, so Tigerclaw added final thought. "If you find out anything more about where Fireheart went, please tell me."

Graystripe gave a terse nod. "I will, Tigerclaw."

Tigerclaw nodded to him and then trotted back over to Bluestar.

"Well?" the leader inquired as he sat down again. Tigerclaw shrugged his shoulders.

"Graystripe said Fireheart was going to check out something he saw yesterday with Cinderpaw. He didn't know what it was, just that Fireheart thought it might be dangerous and left Cinderpaw with him." _More likely he just didn't want Cinderpaw getting in the way,_ Tigerclaw added mentally, though he refrained from speaking these words. He knew Bluestar would rebuke him again if he did.

"Hmm." Bluestar turned away again. There was a moody look in her blue eyes, and Tigerclaw could tell that she had some heavy subjects on her mind. He decided to take some initiative.

"Er… would it be alright if I took a patrol down to the lakeside?"

"Who's available?" Bluestar asked in return. Tigerclaw quickly ran through his ever-changing mental list of warriors in camp.

"Willowpelt and Runningwind," he answered. Bluestar nodded.

"Take them, then. The lake border could use some patrolling."

"Right. We'll be back soon." Tigerclaw nodded to his leader again and strode away, calling out for the two younger warriors as he went. Within a few minutes, the three cats were bounding out of camp and heading south toward the lakeside.

Tigerclaw didn't slow down as they raced through the forest. After about five minutes, the patrol reached the area where the lake lapped up against ThunderClan territory and began their trek along it.

Tigerclaw opened his mouth and breathed the crisp morning air deeply. He could smell the scents of many pieces of prey; behind him, Willowpelt was just beginning to stalk a mouse.

"Willowpelt!" Tigerclaw called, scaring away the mouse. "Come on; you can hunt further on."

"Okay," Willowpelt called back, straightening up and trotting forward as Tigerclaw and Runningwind continued.

The patrol kept going. Every few feet Tigerclaw would stop and scent the air; but all he could smell were the earthy scents of ThunderClan territory. Unfortunately, this did not last. The patrol was halfway to the ShadowClan border when Tigerclaw smelled it.

_RiverClan!_ The ThunderClan deputy dashed forward. The salty, fish-tinged smell of RiverClan cats was faint, but there. The cat―or cats―hadn't meant to mark anything on ThunderClan territory, he could tell that much. But still, the scent was there, rubbed off on a clump of ferns. _What's RiverClan doing on the far side of the lake?_

"Tigerclaw?" Willowpelt called, trotting up beside him. "What's wrong? Why did we stop?"

"There's RiverClan scent here," Tigerclaw answered urgently. Willowpelt's eyes went wide and she immediately sniffed at the fern. After a moment she nodded.

"You're right. RiverClan scent, and it's way past the three-tail-length border where they should have stopped if they were travelling around the lake for some reason or another." Willowpelt paused contemplatively. "What should we do now?"

"You and Runningwind can finish the patrol on your own, right?" Tigerclaw mewed. Willowpelt nodded.

"Yes."

"Then do that. Come straight back to camp once you hit the ShadowClan border. I'll go and alert Bluestar."

"Got it."

With a nod to Willowpelt, Tigerclaw bounded away in the direction of the ThunderClan camp.

Fury at RiverClan's trespassing fueled Tigerclaw and he reached the camp in just a few minutes. He sprang past the camp boundary and skidded into the center of camp, breathing hard.

Bluestar trotted toward him, apparently sensing the urgency of the situation.

"Tigerclaw? What's wrong? Where are Willowpelt and Runningwind?"

The last question was eagerly echoed by Patchpelt, Willowpelt's older brother, and Mousefur, Runningwind's sister.

"Runningwind and Willowpelt are fine," Tigerclaw answered. "They're finishing up the lakeside patrol. I just came back to deliver some news."

"What news?" Bluestar asked, as the crowd of cats around them dissipated.

"There's RiverClan scent near the lakeside," Tigerclaw explained. Bluestar narrowed her eyes.

"How close is it to the lake? You know that medicine cats are allowed to travel where they need to, so long as they stay within three tail-lengths of the lake."

Tigerclaw shook his head impatiently.

"It's far past that, Bluestar. The scent is at least five tail-lengths from the lake, if not more. This RiverClan cat was clearly trespassing."

Bluestar now wore a grim expression on her face.

"I see. I will bring this up with Crookedstar at the next Gathering, but until then, all we can do is re-set our scent markers and patrol that area more frequently." The blue-grey leader turned her head towards the apprentices' den. "Mistpaw! Could you bring a message to Runningwind and Willowpelt for me?"

As Bluestar explained the message to Mistpaw, Tigerclaw let his thoughts drift back to the area where the RiverClan scent had been discovered. _There's something wrong here,_ he thought, narrowing his eyes slightly._ RiverClan lives on the other side of the lake. The only reason they would be on _our_ territory would be if they need to talk to us… but… _Tigerclaw shook his head. Things weren't adding up. _And Bluestar… If I were leader, I would be shocked that there was RiverClan scent where there shouldn't be any. She acts like she knew this was coming._ Tigerclaw shook his head again. _No, that's impossible. It's just part of what makes Bluestar. She's calm in a crisis. She always has been._

"What are you doing, Tigerclaw, fighting with yourself?"

Tigerclaw whirled to find Goldenflower watching him with an amused look on her face. Tigerclaw forced out a purr.

"Where'd you come from? Weren't you on a hunting patrol?"

"We just got back. It's a good day for prey."

"That's… good."

Even with the delight of Goldenflower being back from patrol, Tigerclaw was still half-focused on this incident with RiverClan.

_Things just aren't adding up…_


	22. They Didn't Look Like Kittypets

Bluestar

Oakheart hadn't been in ThunderClan territory again… Had he? But if it wasn't him, then why was there a RiverClan scent on this side of the lake? It wasn't as if RiverClan cats could just stray over the border…

She stood up with a purpose, determined to find out exactly what was going on. Brokenstar or no Brokenstar, nobody was going to trespass on ThunderClan territory. Nobody.

Bluestar padded down through the forest, tail held high. She would get to the bottom of this. By the time she had reached the shore of the lake, she was already carefully searching for any sign of RiverClan. It wasn't often that they trespassed on ThunderClan land, but when they did it was normally for reasons more serious than a mere scrap of prey. Even RiverClan didn't dare swim across the lake unless they had a good reason for it. She carefully scanned the area that Tigerclaw had described. Sure enough, there was a definite scent of RiverClan stained across the whole area. She tried to identify the scent of Oakheart, but it was stale compared to the other scents. _So he's not the only trespasser. Who could it be?_ It seemed as if there was only one predominant RiverClan scent, and another was more confusing. It was almost as if there were two cats, and only one of them was RiverClan. The other had tagged along and the scents had mingled. This other cat's scent was strange underneath the salty tang. It was sharp and bitter. Like a Thunderpath.

The leader of ThunderClan recognized that scent. It had been a long time, but even she hadn't forgotten. A thrill of fear ran through her as she realized what could be happening. If this was anything that it looked like, then everything was about to get a lot worse…

_She had only been an apprentice at the time, and a young one at that. She had been on a patrol with her mentor and a few other warriors. They were pushing ahead really fast, and she wasn't sure if she could keep up. Finally, she had given up, and was merely padding behind the patrol. Spotting a rabbit, she had chased it through the underbrush. Of course, it got away, but she found herself at the edge of the woodline. She could easily see the twoleg dens looming up out of the ground, but that wasn't what had caught her attention. It was the group of cats standing near one of those dens. They didn't look like kittypets._

_ The cats were just as big as warriors, maybe even a little bigger. They were all muscular, and judging by the scars on their faces and shoulders, they weren't softies either. One was a jet black cat, bigger than the rest. He had a collar studded with what looked like dog teeth. He was definitely no normal housecat. He was flanked by a few other big cats, and they were all glaring at one smaller cat, about the size of an average sized warrior. This cat had a light brown coat speckled with tiny white spots. He looked terrified. _

_"Look, Shredder, I'm sorry. I didn't get a good look at him. I thought he was one of those gutter kits!" _

_The black cat sneered, revealing razor sharp fangs, "You have no right to call him a gutter kit, Al! I told you, he's my son!"_

_The other cat, Al, was shaking badly, "I know that now, but when he tried to take my prey-" _

_A big tabby tom growled at him, "So you scratched our leader's kit." The black cat, Shredder, gave a nod to his followers, and they leaped on Al. The fight was over before it started, and the big cats quickly followed Shredder back over the twoleg fence, leaving the body of Al lying lifeless on the grass._

Bluestar shook her head to clear away the memories. That was where she had smelt this scent before. If those cats were among the Clans… That wasn't good. Not good at all. 


	23. How Could I Forget?

Fireheart

_My sister. What is my sister doing here? _Fireheart wandered through the forest, heading towards twoleg territory. He had only vague memories of her. After all, he'd been hardly more than a kit when his old twolegs had separated him from his family and dropped him off at another twoleg's den. He slipped between two saplings, and suddenly the scent of his sister assailed his senses. His ears perked up. She was close by. What _was_ she doing in ThunderClan territory?

Then he was knocked to the ground. That attacker had come out of nowhere, and Fireheart didn't stand a chance. In the blink of an eye, he was pinned with his muzzle in the dirt.

"Make one move, maggot," his attacker hissed, "And you'll be monster chow." He pretended to go limp, but suddenly shot up. This trick had worked on Yellowfang, but this cat simply slapped him sharply on the top of the head.

"Don't even. Now talk fast. Who sent you here?" _This piece of fox dung!_

"I would be careful," he growled, "My friends behind you don't look so happy." The other cat turned, and he instantly rolled out from under her. This time he was ready.

He crouched in an attack position for a second, then purred and sat down, licking his paw, "You always fall for that one, Princess."

His sister rolled her eyes as she sat down across from him, "I thought you wouldn't recognize me, Rusty! And you must admit, that _was _a nice ambush. Reminds me of the old days. Remember?"

Fireheart's green eyes glinted in the sunlight, "How could I forget? Just you and me, wandering through the twoleg nests. We had some interesting adventures." The both purred as they remembered their kithood.

Finally, Princess gave a small sigh, "Well, Rusty, you certainly haven't come back to discuss memories. You never _did_ waste your breath."

Fireheart nodded, "I'm Fireheart now. Warrior name. And you're right, I didn't come here to beat up on my sister. I came here to ask you a question."

Princess seemed totally at ease, but Fireheart knew that she was suddenly alert, "What question?"

"Well, what are you doing in ThunderClan territory?"

"Gathering information."

Fireheart shook his head, "I know that's not the whole truth, sister."

Princess shrugged, "Well, it worked on some of your Clanmates. In reality, I am gathering information. Just not for myself." _I knew it._

"Who are you working for?"

"Just a cat. A powerful cat. He doesn't live with the Clans, if that's what you're asking."

Firepaw nodded, "Good. I don't want him to interfere."

Princess purred again, "I know that face. What schemes are you cooking up now, Ru- I mean Fireheart?"

"I want to lead one of these Clans. Maybe all of these Clans, someday."

"And I take it you're not going about this in the conventional way?"

Fireheart shook his head in disgust, "Of course not! Well, I'm not trying to take over by force either. You see, the leader of ThunderClan invited me into the Clan, but she didn't choose me as deputy, because I was too young. A deputy is—"

"I know what a deputy is. I've already got the basics down."

"Well good. Anyway, the standing deputy is the only thing standing between me and leadership. Bluestar, the old leader, isn't going to be around for much longer. Especially if I help her along if you know what I mean. But the new deputy… He could be a problem."

Princess suddenly didn't look very happy, "I've actually met this… problem. He seems like a good cat."

Fireheart didn't like the sound of this, "You _met_ him?"

"I was under orders."

The flame colored warrior's hackles sank down again, "Oh. It doesn't matter if he's a good cat. He's an obstacle, and I'm suspicious that he'll soon discover what I'm after. I could get kicked out of the Clans."

Princess stood up, and Firepaw followed suit.

"Well," his sister mewed, "If you ever do get kicked out, just ask for me. It's been nice seeing you again."

"Goodbye." Princess turned and padded away. Firepaw headed back for camp. So Princess was just as successful as he had been, apparently. Niether of the siblings were destined for life in the background.

**Sorry for the late post. I don't think I'll be able to post a chapter every Tuesday anymore, so let me know which other day would be best for you all. I'll keep posting every for reading!**


	24. Make a Move

Tigerclaw

It was evening by the time Fireheart returned to camp. He had simply melted away for the entire day. Tigerclaw wasn't happy with this. Every warrior needed to pull their own weight if the Clan was to prosper. And now there was this Fireheart going out of his way to even train an apprentice.

The deputy approached the younger warrior as he entered the camp, "Where have you been all day?"

The ginger warrior shrugged, "It seemed a good day for hunting." He padded towards the fresh kill pile and dropped a pathetically small mouse onto the mound.

"We also need warriors," Tigerclaw replied, "And Cinderpaw's training is _your_ responsibility." Anger flashed briefly across Fireheart's green eyes, but it was gone as quick as it had come.

The young warrior dipped his head, "I understand. I'll take her out tomorrow."

"Good." Tigerclaw eyed the warrior critically. He couldn't have spent all day hunting one scrawny mouse. It just didn't make sense. He turned around and padded back towards Darkstripe and Goldenflower. He would finish his meal and worry about this insolent warrior later.

Darkstripe took a bite out of a chaffinch as Tigerclaw approached, and Goldenflower nudged a vole towards him.

"Here," his mate mewed, "I got you this." He quickly licked the top of her head before sitting down,

"Thank you."

They ate in silence for a few moments, then Darkstripe glanced at Tigerclaw, "What was that discussion with Fireheart about?"

Tigerclaw swallowed a bite of vole before answering, "He hasn't been doing anything all day. He just walked out of camp at sunrise, and he just got back."

"I'm sure he was just trying to get a bit of fresh air." Goldenflower mewed, "An apprentice is a big responsibility."

"But that's no excuse for leaving the Clan out to dry," Darkstripe replied. Goldenflower nodded in grudging agreement, and Tigerclaw let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm worried about him," he admitted, "He just seems to be so… so… I don't know. There's just something fishy about him."

Goldenflower swallowed some mouse before mewing, "Maybe it's a kittypet thing. He probably has trouble getting used to all of our rules."

Darkstripe didn't feel so merciful, "I don't care if he's a dog, if he wants to join ThunderClan, then he should be willing to follow the rules just as much as any cat. Personally, I don't see what's so special about him. Both Dustpaw and Sandpaw are fine apprentices, yet Bluestar promoted Fireheart first."

"Don't forget Graystripe," Goldenflower mewed.

A mischievious glimmer shined in Darkstripe's eyes, "Hah, now _there's_ a puzzle. How did that rock in a cat's body get promoted?"

"Darkstripe! Don't be mean!"

"Sorry Goldenflower, I know the truth is difficult to deal with at times."

"It's all Bluestar's decision in the end. We have to trust her judgement." Tigerclaw pointed out.

Darkstripe's mew had lost its humor, "You're right. We just have to trust her judgement."

The moon was already high in the sky before Tigerclaw found a chance to speak with Darkstripe in private. He had assigned his former apprentice with the night watch, and he slipped out of the warriors' den at the first opportunity.

He glanced around the camp once, but nothing could be seen except the high walls of the ThunderClan camp. The other cats were asleep. He approached Darkstripe, and sat down beside him.

"I met with Princess last night." Darkstripe only nodded slowly. Tigerclaw continued, "She told me that there are groups of cats who break the Code for their own benefit. That they trade things and manipulate the Code."

Darkstripe's mew was grim, "I've been suspecting something like that for a while. It seems that whenever you have rules, there's always the cats who want to break them."

Tigerclaw had to agree, "You're right. But I've been thinking. Do you think that maybe Fireheart is one of those cats? That would explain why he disappears out on his own every so often."

This was news for Darkstripe, "You're right. That would explain some things. Especially how he got promoted so fast."

Tigerclaw glanced up at the sky, watching the moon floating through the sky, "You think Bluestar is in on this?"

"Like I've said before, that is a possibility. But if there's another leader or deputy who are part of these Code breakers, then they could also have suggested that Fireheart should be promoted." Tigerclaw considered this. That would mean that Bluestar was innocent. After all, a leader's word, even if it was from another Clan, carried a lot of weight.

"Should I talk to Bluestar about it?" he asked.

"Wait for a good moment. Fireheart needs to make a move first. The instant he gives himself away, you pounce."


	25. Just Dead Cats

Bluestar

Bluestar was in the dream forest before she knew she had fallen asleep. With a groan, she hauled herself to her feet. _Why do I always end up here?! _At this point, a few creepy dead cats were the least of her problems.

She glanced around for any sign of Spottedleaf or Sparrowfeather. She was surprised to see only Spottedleaf, a few tail lengths away, grooming herself.

The beautiful cat glanced up at Bluestar, "Well you took your time. Don't you ever sleep?"

Bluestar ignored the comment, "Where's Sparrowfeather?"

"She'll be along soon. Just had some business to attend to." They sat in silence for a few moments.

Suddenly, Bluestar couldn't help but ask, "How did you die? Did that Clawface finally realize what a fox you really were?"

The ex medicine cat shook her head, "Oh no. I just traded him some herbs in order to kill me. Simple as that."

Bluestar's eyes shot wide, and her ears flattened against the sides of her head, "WHAT?! You wanted him to kill you?"

Spottedleaf looked vaguely annoyed, "Well, I wouldn't have paid him if I didn't want him to, would I? Anyway, I took a few poppy seeds for the pain, and that's that."

"That's that?! Why?"

The she cat stared down at her paws, as if checking for non existant imperfections, "I learned a long time ago that it was StarClan that had the real power. Being leader is a well and good, but even they will jump on a badger if StarClan tells them to. So, the only way to get into StarClan is to die… So here I am."

Bluestar rolled her eyes, "Spottedleaf, I thought _you_ of all people would be able to tell that this is definitely not StarClan."

The other cat scoffed, "Of course not! But there are cats who are aiming for the same… expectations that I am. They all live here." _I wonder why._

Just then, the branches behind Spottedleaf rustled, and Sparrowfeather stepped into the dark clearing. She looked slightly spooked, and maybe a little tired. Bluestar wondered if she to had been having trouble sleeping. If the cats here even needed to sleep.

The smaller she cat glared at Bluestar, "So, what do you have to say for yourself?"

The ThunderClan leader was taken aback by her tone, "What?"

"It's not that complicated," Sparrowfeather spat, "Why is Brokenstar after you? What did you do without our permission?"

Bluestar's hackles rose, "I don't need your permission to do anything!"

"Oh really, so you went out and did something mousebrained, huh?"

The silver she cat lashed her tail, "No! I don't know what his problem is!" The two she cats glared at eachother, each trying to bore into the others mind and discover a lie. Finally, Sparrowfeather blinked and sat down. She didn't look happy, but atleast she wasn't trying to bite Bluestar's head off anymore. That was an improvement.

"You're telling the truth." Sparrowfeather mewed.

Spottedleaf was still inspecting her paws, "I told you. She doesn't have the guts to do anything that would get _him_ mad."

The ThunderClan leader couldn't believe what she was hearing, "_I_ don't have the guts?! At least I fight my own battles with my own two paws! I would call it brains not to purposefully try to make enemies with two different groups of psychopaths at once!"

"So we're psychopaths now?" Spottedleaf's mew had a faint purr in it, as if she was having a conversation with a mousebrained kit.

Sparrowfeather didn't see the humor, "I wouldn't put it past you, Bluestar. Anyway, now you've got our whole plan in jeapordy! If Brokenstar attacks, there's a good chance that you will die, and I doubt Fireheart will be of much use if Tigerclaw's watching his every move!"

"Well then why don't you do something about it?" Bluestar hissed, "I've got pleny of cats to lecture me already!"

Spottedleaf glanced at Sparrowfeather out of the corner of her eye, "She's got a point, you know."

Sparrowfeather snarled at her partner before turning back to Bluestar, "What would you have us do? We can't exactly fight Brokenstar and his cronies." Bluestar racked her brains, and she came up with an answer fairly quickly.

"Well," she meowed, "Why don't you just look into the future and tell me when he's going to attack! Then I can capture him, and everything will go back to normal!" This time, both of the other cats purred.

"Sorry to steal your prey, Bluestar," Spottedleaf purred, "But it doesn't really work that way."

"What?"

This time Sparrowfeather answered, "We're just dead cats, like all the rest of StarClan."

"Then where do the prophecies come from?"

"All you need to do is make a vague enough statement," Sparrowfeather mewed, "And then we let you living cats work it out for yourselves. You'll see what you want to see." Bluestar felt as if a tiny ray of innocence had been squashed inside of her. _Just another thing to add to the list of dissapointments in my life._

"Well," she mewed after a few moments of thought, "You could at least spy on Brokenstar and try to figure out his plans."

Spottedleaf shrugged, "I guess we could do that. What do you think, Sparrowfeather?"

The other cat nodded slowly, "We'll do that. But don't think that just because of this, you can control us, Bluestar." As the forest around her began to fade away, Bluestar thought, _Oh no. I don't think any cat could control you now._

**Thanks for reading another chapter! I have decided to start posting on Monday afternoons, but if you can think of a better date then let me know before Friday. **


	26. That's Odd

Fireheart

_Brackenpaw is well behaved. Why did I have to get the one cat in the forest with more energy then all the Clans combined?_ Fireheart wasn't in a good mood as he padded through the forest, not even trying to keep up with Cinderpaw as she bounded ahead of the patrol. The only other cats with them were Graystripe and Brackenpaw, who were having a seemingly deep conversation about the nuances of the Warrior Code. Of course, deep for Graystripe isn't very deep for any other cat. Caught in between an overload of excitement and an impossibly dull discussion, Fireheart was definitely not in a good mood.

They were heading to the lake to try and keep an eye out for RiverClan. Tigerclaw had "suggested" that they bond with their apprentices. _It's probably some kind of revenge._ StarClan hadn't been in Fireheart's favor recently. His plot to take over ThunderClan was progressing painfully slowly, thanks to his new apprentice. Plus, he had to find a way to get Tigerclaw out of the picture. _I need to frame him for a crime. That would have him kicked out before he could blink. _The problem was, Tigerclaw didn't do anything even remotely sketchy. Fireheart needed to get a better reputation, so that when it was Tigerclaw's word against his own, the Clan would pick him. And if part of getting a good reputation involved training a scatter brained apprentice, then so be it.

The lake glittered in the morning sun, like a sea of stars. Fireheart watched a catfish circle lazily through the shallows, barely visible in the murky water. Then there was a splash, and the fish disappeared.

Cinderpaw was blissfully unaware of the creature she had just terrified, "I want to catch a vole! I've never tasted vole!"

"I'm afraid everything we catch today goes right back to the elders," replied Graystripe. Fireheart kept on walking down towards the water. He did detect a faint trace of RiverClan, but it was hard to tell with—_SPLASH!_ Fireheart whirled around to see Graystripe sopping wet, with a soaked leaf draped across his paw.

Brackenpaw looked doubtful, "Why did you do that?"

Graystripe attempted to look wise, "Never miss a chance to practice your hunting skills."

"But you were just trying to jump on a leaf—"

"Don't question genius, Brackenpaw, and you will go far." Fireheart glanced over at his own apprentice, who was currently attacking a fallen log. _I won't even ask._

"Start checking for RiverClan scent," he mewed to Graystripe, who was shaking the water out of his fur.

"I'm on it!" The cats scanned the area around the lake shore, even Cinderpaw pitched in when Fireheart threatened to steal her butterfly wing if she didn't. He wandered off to check a patch of dandelions for scent, and sneazed. No RiverClan scent there. When he got back to the others, Cinderpaw was deep in conversation with Graystripe.

"Hey Fireheart!" Cinderpaw mewed, "Is it true that RiverClan cats have a secret camp underneath the Gathering island and it's filled with flying mice and lots of catnip?" What? Why?

"No it isn't true, don't be mousebrained. Who told you that?" His apprentice gestured to Graystripe with her tail, and the gray warrior immedieately went on the defensive.

"It's true!" the fluff brain stammered, "Mousefur said so!" Fireheart had the sudden urge to bang his own head against a rock.

They once again began the search, and Fireheart suspected that Tigerclaw had sent them on this impossibly long mission on purpose.

"Hey look!" Fireheart glanced at the source of the sound, and saw Brackenfur standing at the edge of the fallen tree that connected their territory to the island at the center of the lake. He seemed to be staring at something in the water, but before he could say what it was he lost his balance and toppled into the water.

"BRACKENPAW!" Cinderpaw yowled as she tore for the lake shore, but Graystripe was already pounding through the shallows. Fireheart couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance. _None of us are strong enough to swim all the way out there and back with Brackenpaw. Why are they even trying?_ Then, as if it was a miracle, a silver striped head bobbed up beside the place where the ThunderClan apprentice had fallen. _A RiverClan cat!_ The cat seemed to be dragging Brackenpaw through the water towards the shore where Graystripe was anxiously waiting. Cinderpaw gave a small gasp.

"Is that cat going to hurt my brother?" she asked, sounding suddenly terrified.

Fireheart shook his head, "No, I'm sure he's not. If he wanted to hurt Brackenpaw, then he would have just let him drown." As they approached the shore, Fireheart noticed that the rescuer was definitely a RiverClan she cat. She was silver, with a coat that resembled Bluestar's. She set Brackenpaw down, and the apprentice hopped up and dashed towards Graystripe, who licked his apprentices head to calm him down.

Without another word, the she cat leapt back into the lake and swam back towards RiverClan territory. Fireheart couldn't help but find that suspicious. Why didn't she stick around to see if Brackenpaw was okay? And how did she even see Brackenpaw drowning? Had she been on the island?

He turned to tell Graystripe what he thougth when he saw his expression. Graystripe looked thankful, but there was a warm look in his eyes as he watched the RiverClan cat recede into the distance. _Huh, that's odd..._ It was almost as if he knew this she cat…

**I am EXTREMELY sorry for posting late. Just because you guys are all so great, I'm going to post two today to make up for it. Thanks for reading!**


	27. Our RiverClan Problem

Tigerclaw

"So let me get this straight," Tigerclaw glared at the two warriors sitting before him, "Brackenpaw fell off of the log and into the water, and then both of you sat back and let a _RiverClan _cat save him? You didn't think to, oh maybe, _pull him back up onto the log_?" ThunderClan's two newest warriors were looking very uncomfortable under Tigerclaw's icy stare.

"Uh, I didn't think of that," Graystripe mewed, sounding very ashamed of himself. Fireheart stared at his paws. Tigerclaw couldn't believe that these two warriors could fail their mission so miserably. He had sent them to protect the border from RiverClan, and in the end a RiverClan cat had to save one of their apprentices. It didn't exactly cast ThunderClan in a good light.

With a wave of his tail he dismissed them, and they scurried back towards the warrior's den. Tigerclaw turned around and padded towards Bluestar's den. It was high time he talked to his leader about this RiverClan problem. Maybe then they could do something more than send mousebrains out to watch for them.

As usual, the den was immaculate. Some of the queens took turns cleaning it out. They weren't under orders, it was just one of those little traditions that made ThunderClan ThunderClan. He spotted Bluestar talking to Whitestorm in the corner, and padded towards them.

Whitestorm looked up as he approached, "Greetings Tigerclaw. Bluestar and I were just discussing the new ShadowClan."

Tigerclaw nodded respectfully to the senior warrior, "Well, it's certainly better than the old ShadowClan. They lost a lot of their strongest warriors, though. It'll probably be many moons before they can recover from that."

"I agree. But I'm not sure if we should still allow them to hunt in our territory," Bluestar mewed, "After all, Leaf Bare is coming on, and ThunderClan will be pressed for prey, ShadowClan or no ShadowClan."

"You're right," Tigerclaw mewed, "They'll never learn to depend on themselves if they're always looking to the other Clans for support."

"But they did have a very rough time with Brokenstar," Whitestorm pointed out, "And they've never been very good hunters, especially in our territory. I think the fact that they hunt in our territory is more of a psychological help than anything else."

"But again, we can't have them relying on us. ThunderClan has enough problems as it is without having to treat ShadowClan like a bunch of kits."

Bluestar swiped a paw over her ears, "Another good point, Tigerclaw. I think we'll tell Nightpelt next Gathering. No point making a special trip to bring bad news." The other two warriors nodded in agreement. It made sense. They already were having problems with RiverClan anyway, and WindClan was too weak to back them up.

Tigerclaw cleared his throat, "I actually came here to talk to you about our RiverClan problem."

Bluestar's blue eyes flahed briefly, "Alright. I think it was just few young warriors on a dare."

Whitestorm shook his head, "From what I've scented, I would expect that either they stayed for a while, or they've returned multiple times."

Tigerclaw lashed his tail, "If this is the case, then we have to act. We could be facing an invasion."

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions," Bluestar stated carefully, "Remember, much of RiverClan's prey will be inaccessible soon when the water freezes. They wouldn't risk a fight now." _And Crookedstar isn't the kind of cat who jumps into a fight. In fact, he rarely seems to fight at all._ Tigerclaw had only fought with RiverClan once or twice in his life. It just wasn't like a venerable leader to cross a lake just for a few scraps of prey.

"Hmmm," Whitestorm puzzled, "Good arguments as always, Bluestar. The Clans are weak enough without a war."

Bluestar dipped her head, "Thank you Whitestorm. For now all we can do is double our guard and let Crookedstars make the first move."


	28. I Was Like That Once

Bluestar

_So RiverClan has been scented again. What does Oakheart want to tell me so bad?_ Bluestar padded near the lake shore. She didn't know why, but ever since she had first seen it, the lake had always been soothing. The way the waves lapped at the shore, washing the sand clean. The occasional splash of a fish. The waterbirds that swooped overhead, searching endlessly for a meal. This had been where she had first met Oakheart.

She shook her head to clear away her thoughts. Oakheart was in the past. _I wish I had never met him. Then I wouldn't have had to say goodbye. _Anger briefly flashed through her. Maybe Brokenstar was right. Maybe the Clans needed to be united. Then it would be cats that mattered, not some stupid code. But as quickly as it had come, the anger evaporated. The Warrior Code was there for a reason. Without it, they would be no better then four groups of rogues, each fighting for themselves.

A movement to her right caught her attention, and Bluestar glanced over across the lake shore. Graystripe had just stepped out of the woodline. Bluestar felt a thrill of pride at the sight of the strong warrior. RiverClan wouldn't stand a chance if they wanted to invade. Then she saw a ripple in the water, and a silver striped head broke the surface of the water. Bluestar prepared to spring. _RiverClan!_ She saw Graystripe bounding towards the silver she cat that emerged from the water. Then to her surprise, he licked the RiverClan cat affectionately on the top of the head. _WHAT?!_ She watched in a mixture of surprise and horror as the two cats bounded along the shore together. It was no mistaking it. Graystripe had broken the Code. Bluestar quietly slipped into the trees. She was sure that the two hadn't spotted her. This had to be stopped before any more damage could be caused. Then something stopped her. She glanced back through the branches at the happy couple. _That's how I felt with Oakheart. I was like that once._ Suddenly she knew that she couldn't stop them. She was just as guilty as either of them was, it wouldn't be right. And maybe there was something more than that that stopped her.

She turned away and padded through the trees. So now she knew what was causing the alarm. It wasn't Oakheart after all. It was this she cat. She felt a pang of pity for them. She knew how this would end, and it wouldn't be happily ever after. _Maybe they'll stop before it becomes too painful._ Despite herself, she hoped that maybe StarClan would give those two cats a second chance. Before it was too late.


	29. Because You're a Coward

Fireheart

_So that's what fluff head has been up to all this time. Chasing a she cat! From RiverClan!_ Fireheart snorted in disgust as he turned away from the sickly sweet scene before him. How could this mindless rule follower make such an _annoying_ mistake? What did he expect, true love? Fireheart raked his claws across a tree. Love was just another word for pain.

He padded towards the ThunderClan camp, pondering his plans. With his "friend" smashing up the Warrior Code, what could he do to regain face? He wouldn't be looked kindly upon. _If I reveal their love, then cats will think I'm a snitch. And if I don't, then they'll call me a rule breaker too!_ It was a no win situation.

He stopped dead in his tracks. Wait a second. What was he thinking?! Cats in love will do anything for those they love. So maybe… Maybe that could be useful. _It would be nice to have a pair of eyes inside of RiverClan. _It shouldn't be too difficult to convince a she cat. After all, anycat who fell in love with Graystripe probably wasn't too bright anyway. He padded back towards his hiding spot behind a tree. He had to catch this she cat alone. If Graystripe interfered, everything could get ruined. _If it isn't already._

Finally, the two lovers went there separate ways. Graystripe padded off through the forest, a dreamy look in his eyes. The she cat watched him go before turning to swim back to RiverClan. That's when Fireheart made his move.

The flame colored tom bounded down from the treeline, "Hey! Wait up!"

The she cat whipped around, snarling, "Stay back if you don't want to get shredded!"

Fireheart slowed to a stop, "I'm Fireheart, I'm a friend of Graystripe. I just want to talk to you."

She glared at him, "You're a friend of Graystripe's?"

"Yes."

She eyed him catiously, "Alright, talk fast."

"First I need to know your name."

The she cat only hesitated for a moment before mewing, "Silverstream."

Fireheart struggled to look innocent, "Well, that's a very nice name."

"Do I look like a kit?" Fireheart felt his patience wearing thin. This cat was much smarter than Graystripe.

"It's just, I need to know a few things about RiverClan. Nothing bad, you know, just curious," when the she cat didn't answer, Fireheart continued, "You could just meet up with me at Gatherings and tell me what's been going on. We'd get to know eachother better."

Silverstream cocked her head to the side, "How stupid do you think I am? Of course I won't spy for you!"

"It wouldn't be spying-"

"Don't think you can play with me like some kind of idiot butterfly!"

Anger flared up inside of Fireheart, "You know what you're doing here is against the Code! I would use a better tone with me if I was you."

Silverstream's blue eyes hardened like twin chips of ice, "Are you threatening me, fox heart?"

"I could ruin both you _and_ Graystripe with a few words. Do what I say, and I'll keep it a secret."

"I don't think so," Silverstream hissed, "I think you'll keep it a secret anyway. Because I know that you killed Whiteclaw."

Fear flashed through Fireheart, but he ignored it, "You can't prove it!"

"Oh yes I can! I saw it with my own eyes! And Graystripe will agree with me." _If Graystripe agrees with her… Tigerclaw would love to have me thrown out of the Clans._

He unsheathed his claws menacingly, "Well then you know I've killed once. What makes you think I wouldn't do it again?"

She glared at him, no trace of fear in her gaze, "Because you're a coward. And you know the second me and Graystripe are revealed, I'll know it was you. And I'll take you down with us." With that, she turned and slipped into the dark, cold water of the lake. Fireheart couldn't help but purr darkly. That plan had backfired.


	30. Cinderpaw, Stop!

Tigerclaw

Bluestar was sick. Tigerclaw paced to and fro in front of the den, waiting for any orders from Yellowfang. Most of the Clan was gathered under the den, all worried for their leader. He didn't know what had brought the greencough on, but Bluestar had simply woken up one sunrise with a hacking cough. _This is the worst time for this to happen! _He had given the Clan strict orders not to tell any other cats about this. He didn't want any of the other Clans to think ThunderClan was weak.

Then a tail tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Darkstripe and Mousefur standing behind him, looking nervous and worried.

"What is it?" He asked, concern growing within him. If these two were nervous, then something was wrong.

Darkstripe cleared his throat, but Mousefur answered first, "It's ShadowClan. The fox hearts are up to something."

"What do you mean?"

"We caught there scent up near the Thunderpath, you know, the one near the abandoned twoleg nest."

Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes in concentration, "That's pretty far into our territory. Too far for just hunting."

Darkstripe nodded, "That's why we're worried." Tigerclaw glanced at Bluestar's den. _She'll be okay if I'm gone for bit._

"Alright," he mewed finally, "I'll check it out."

Darkstripe summoned Dustpaw quickly, and then the patrol set off for the abandoned Twoleg nest. The trip was much faster than what Tigerclaw was used to, which was a relief. Dustpaw was almost a full warrior, so he was able to keep up with the others easily. They reached the abandoned nest in half the time it would usually take. As soon as they got there, Tigerclaw gagged at the ShadowClan scent that was coating the ferns and surrounding area. A lot of cats had been there, it was definitely not a hunting party. The warriors fanned out, trying to get a rough guess of where exactly these cats had gone. It didn't take long to find out.

"Hey look!" Dustpaw yowled from across yard. Tigerclaw bounded through the tall grass and fallen branches and quickly saw what Dustpaw was pointing out. His heart sank. Mousefur padded towards them, and spat when she saw what the ShadowClan had done.

"Those slimy, stinking, sneaking, fox hearts!" Tigerclaw couldn't help but agree. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the patch of ruined catnip. Anything worth taking had been stolen.

Darkstripe narrowed his eyes, "This can't be overlooked."

"Of course it can't!" Mousefure hissed, "They already have a big patch of catnip in their territory! Why can't they just take their own?"

Tigerclaw shook his head gravely, "I don't think they need catnip. I think they're sending us a message."

"They want a fight?" Darkstripe snorted, "They lost all of their _good_ fighters when Brokenstar left! They've got nothing."

Tigerclaw was also puzzled, "Maybe they're just testing their luck."

"Well then it just ran out! I'm going to rip the pelts off of every one of those thieving crowfood eaters, then I'll stick the stinking fur down their own throats! And then I'll—" Mousefur noticed that Dustpaw was staring at her with wide eyes, and she abruptly ended her tirade, "Never mind."

Tigerclaw turned to the apprentice, "Dustpaw, I need you to see if Bluestar's alright, and if she is, then bring her over here. I need to know what we do next."

As the apprentice bounded away, Darkstripe mewed quietly, "Tigerclaw, you know that if Bluestar's still sick then you'll have to make the call on whether or not to attack ShadowClan."

Tigerclaw grimaced at the thought, "I hope I don't have to."

Mousefur and Tigerclaw paced back and forth as they waited for a reply from Dustpaw. As they passed eachother for the umpteenth time, Tigerclaw couldn't help but growl with frustration. What was taking that apprentice so long? Darkstripe was lying in the shade, deceptively calm. Tigerclaw new from experience that Darkstripe was just as nervous as they were. He was just better at hiding it. Finally, Mousefure hopped to her feet.

"I'll go check near the clearing!" She announced, "Maybe ShadowClan is trespassing in other places just as far into our territory."

Darkstripe nodded, "I'll check a little farther up near the twoleg place." The two cats each left Tigerclaw, bounding away to check for more ShadowClan interfierence. Tigerclaw sat down under a tree, squinting as a monster rolled by on the thunderpath only a few fox lengths away. He let his mind wander as he waited for Dustpaw's return. Maybe the monsters had been what destroyed the abandoned twoleg nest. Maybe a long time ago they wandered off of the thunderpath! He shuddered at the thought.

Just then he heard the sound of a small cat crashing through the underbrush. He let out a sigh of relief. _He took his time._ Then he scented something strange. _That doesn't smell like Dustpaw… Is that _Cinderpaw_?_ At that moment the dark gray apprentice hurled out of the woodline and right through the clearing, into the thunderpath.

He was up and sprinting for her in the blink of an eye, "CINDERPAW! STOP!" A monster roared towards the small cat. He tried to run faster.

"COME BACK!" Cinderpaw turned around with a puzzled look in her eye. Then the monster hit her. Tigerclaw gasped in horror, and bounded towards the limp bundle on the ground.

"Cinderpaw?!"


	31. A Matter of Time

Fireheart

_That little mousebrained—_Fireheart dashed through the forest, following Cinderpelt's trail. _Stay at camp! What's so complicated about that?!_ He dodged a low growing oak branch and leapt over a moss covered boulder. Why couldn't that hyperactive apprentice just obey?

And it had to be Tigerclaw who needed the message. The one cat he needed to reassure, and now his apprentice was running rampant trying to "help"!

"CINDERPAW! STOP! COME BACK!" _Oh no… That can't be good._ He bounded into the clearing just in time to see a monster clip Cinderpaw, tossing her onto the hot, smelly thunderpath. He bounded towards his apprentice, but Tigerclaw got there first. _This just keeps getting better and better. _He saw the deputy pick the apprentices body up and drag it to the side of the road where he carefully set it down. _Huh, the mousebrain actually cares about her!_ He bounded to Cinderpaw's side.

"Is she dead?" the ginger cat mewed hopefully, trying to sound panicked.

Tigerclaw shook his head, "No, she's breathing. But it looks bad." For the first time Fireheart noticed that Cinderpaw's leg was twisted in a painful angle, with blood seeping from the ruind limb. _How ironic. She dashes into trouble and she'll never dash again!_

Fireheart took it upon himself to carry Cinderpaw back to camp. He wasn't a medicine cat, but he was pretty sure that Cinderpaw wouldn't be up and about anytime soon. He tried to decide on a proper level of distress as he climbed down the narrow slope and into the ThunderClan camp. A few surrounding cats gasped in horror, and Frostfure wailed as they approached, forgetting her fresh kill completely. Firepaw padded into Yellowfang's den and laid the limp young cat on a pile of moss. He hesitated briefly before giving her dirty ear a quick lick. There, that would make it look like he cared. He hardly had a chance to catch his breath before Frostfur leapt into the room, practically dragging Yellowfang with her. The medicine cat hurried over to the apprentice, and gave her a quick sniff.

"She's hurt very badly," she announced, "But I might be able to save her." _Fox dung._ She turned to Fireheart, "Bluestar is very sick. Only StarClan can decide her fate now. She's been asking for you." Fireheart nodded and padded out of the medicine den. He paused in the center of the clearing for a brief glance around the camp. Of course, Graystripe wasn't there. Probably with that fox hearted RiverClan she cat again. He continued on his course, climbing up to the den in which Bluestar was resting.

She didn't look good. She lay on her side, fur matted, and breathing in hoarse gasps. Recognition flickered across her dull eyes as she spotted Fireheart standing at the entrance to her den.

"Quiet now, Fireheart," For the first time he notice Goldenflower sitting beside Bluestar, a look of deep sorrow in her eyes, "She hasn't been responding to the herbs." At loss for a better thing to do, Fireheart padded to Bluestar's side and lay down, watching his leader carefully. _Don't die. If Tigerclaw's leader, he'll make sure I have no chance to lead anything more then a dirt patrol!_

It was nearing sunrise when Blustar stopped breathing.

Fireheart felt his heart sink. His last hope at becoming the leader of ThunderClan was now lying cold on the floor of a den. Slain by a freak bout of greencough.

Then Bluestar groaned. Fireheart almost leaped out of his skin, _B-but she was dead!_ Then it dawned on him. Maybe that whole nine lives thing wasn't just hocus pocus. He calmed his breathing and tried to look happy. Even if it was true she had had nine lives, now she only had one left. It was only a matter of time. He breezed through a conversation with Bluestar about who knows what and was finally dismissed to go sleep. So Cinderpaw and Bluestar, both almost gone in one day. _Maybe it's a warning. Maybe it means I need to move faster with my plan._ He had been scared when he had realized how close all of his work had been to failure. That would never happen again.


	32. We Were Both Loyal

Bluestar

_My last life._ Bluestar sat alone at the top of the ravine, staring down at the ThunderClan cats below. She had lost her life to greencough a few sunrises ago, but it was still sinking in. _I'm no better than any other cat now._ The thought surprised her. Did nine lives really make her any different then any other cat?

Tonight was the Gathering. A real Gathering. Bluestar continued to stare down at the cats milling about far below. Atleast it would be interesting, with ShadowClan having to accept their new limitations. Nightstar wouldn't be happy with that. She let out a heavy sigh. Hopefully it wouldn't end in a brawl. The last thing the Clans needed was to find out the StarClan really did not have the power to enforce peace. _They're just dead cats._

Then there was the mysterious business with the ShadowClan cats stealing catnip. That was a serious crime, especially since ThunderClan had been trusting them. Such a thing could not go unspoken in a Gathering. The other Clans needed to hear the apology. That would both cause humiliation and prevent further instances, all in one blow.

Then her thoughts turned to less business like matters. Graystripe and the RiverClan she cat had reminded her of what she once was. She had been happy. She heaved a heavy sigh. _Maybe I never needed to join the codeless cats. _She wanted to believe it was the Warrior Code that had separated her from Oakheart, but she knew that wasn't true. _We were both loyal. Niether of us could harm our Clans._

The night was bright under the full moon. The pale light painted a deathly shade over the ThunderClan patrol as they nimbly trotted across the fallen tree and towards the Gathering Island. WindClan was waiting for them, basking under the giant oak tree. Bluestar padded forward elegantly, nodding a greeting to Tallstar as she approached him. As was usual for a Gathering, the two leaders made small talk about the weather and prey. Niether cat was unduly worried about either subject. It didn't take long for ShadowClan to show up, closely followed by RiverClan. Bluestar felt a twinge in her chest as Oakheart strolled past, his head held high.

She leapt up onto one of the branches of the oak, not wasting any time. As the other leaders followed suit, she knew that she needed to speak first, before Nightstar could even think up an excuse.

"Welcome to the Gathering," she meowed, "I would like to begin." She glared at the other leaders, as if challenging them to oppose her. They did not, "We have scented ShadowClan on our territory!" murmurs rippled through the crowd of cats, and a few from the crowd of ShadowClan let out nasty purrs.

"Bluestar," Nightstar mewed, "you yourself gave us permission to hunt on your land. Have you already forgotten?"

Bluestar narrowed her icy blue eyes, "No, I have not. But you have betrayed our trust! You have stolen catnip from our territory!" The murmurs were now more anxious, even among the RiverClan and WindClan cats. Stealing catnip was no petty crime. "And so ShadowClan is no longer allowed to hunt in our territory!" A yowl of outrage came from the ShadowClan cats crouched at the base of the oak.

One particularly bold one roared, "We need that prey!"

Bluestar knew that she couldn't budge even a mouse length, "Then you should have thought of that before you raided our catnip!"

Before the argument could continue, Tallstar stepped forward, "Calm down, my fellow warriors. All is well in WindClan, we are still thankful to ThunderClan for helping us to return."

Crookedstar nodded in agreement, "We are also glad WindClan is back. It has renewed balance to the forest. All is well in RiverClan… Except for a fact that a ThunderClan spy is roving through our territory!" Another yowl of outrage rang out, this time from the ThunderClan cats.

Bluestar rounded on the old leader, "Crookedstar, are you accusing me of setting spies out on RiverClan?"

"Yes I am. We have scented him for more than a moon!" Suddenly Bluestar understood. _Graystripe!_

"A RiverClan spy has been in our territory too!" She retorted.

Crookedstar's eyes lit up, "Lier!"

At that moment Tallstar interrupted, "Have either of you actually _seen_ a trespasser?" both leaders shook their heads. Tallstar shrugged, "Then how about we stop this argument. After all, you are both the strongest Clans in the forest right now. What would a spy do, watch apprentices gather moss?" Bluestar nodded her consent. Tallstar had a point, fighting now would do more harm than good… for all the Clans.

"Very well," Crookedstar agreed grudgingly, "I will wait until our Clan has more proof. Then we will strike!"


	33. I Killed Him

Tigerclaw

How could the RiverClan leader make such an outrageous accusation? It was Crookedstar who was really sending spies, just like Bluestar said. He shook his head in disgust. What was the forest coming to? The trotted back towards ThunderClan territory, the warriors easily keeping their footing on the damp log. When they reached the other side, Tigerclaw bounded up through the handful of warriors until he was level with Bluestar.

"It's alright," he mewed, "Nobody thinks you sent a spy to RiverClan. He's probably just trying to cover his tracks."

The leader nodded wearily, "Yes Tigerclaw, you're right."

"At least none of the Clans have spotted Brokenstar yet. Maybe he's gone for good."

"Maybe." They walked in silence for a while longer, their paws crunching on the pebbles of the lake shore. They then turned towards the forest, stepping gratefully onto the soft moss and soil. It was then that Tigerclaw stiffened. He raised his tail signaling for the patrol to stop. They all instantly froze. Then Tigerclaw heard a low, barely discernible mew from up ahead.

He whipped out his claws, "AMBUSH! DEFEND BLUESTAR!" The ThunderClan warriors sprang into action, surrounding their leader. Tigerclaw didn't a head count in the blink of an eye. A few of the warriors were experienced, but Fireheart was with them too… He gave a nod to Darkstripe, who understood immediately. He would defend Bluestar, even from within. Then chaos exploded through the forest.

A dozen cats leapt out of the underbrush, yowling at the top of their lungs. They had obviously been planning to catch the patrol by surprise, but they were still determined to attack. One particularly big one dove right at Tigerclaw, but the seasoned warrior simply slashed his claws cross the cat's face, sending him reeling away into the night. He whirled around, tossing another attacker off of Dustpaw, bodily throwing the unfortunate cat into a nearby tree. _These aren't Clan cats!_ Tigerclaw realized with a start. He watched Darkstripe lash out with a blinding flurry of blows, forcing yet another cat to retreat. That's when Tigerclaw noticed that all of the rogues were focusing on one thing. _Bluestar!_ He bounded to his leader's side, crashing into a brown, scarred rogue. The cat took one look at Tigerclaw and scrabbled away wailing. Another gray looking cat leapt past Tigerclaw's guard, tackling Bluestar to the ground. Tigerclaw froze in horror, but Bluestar was no weakling. She kicked up with her hindpaws, sending the cat stumbling backwards. She wasted no time in counterattacking, slashing at the cat with well aimed paw swipes. Both of her strikes connected with her opponent's throat, and dark liquid sprayed across the surrounding leaves as the rogue stumbled backwards a few paces before toppling on his side.

Tigerclaw had no time to think on that cat's fate. Two panicked, bloodied rogues pelted past him, with Mousefur close behind. The yowls of combat slowly began to die away, and any remaining rogues bounded away, obviously regretting their choice of attacking ThunderClan cats.

Panting, the ThunderClan deputy turned to his leader, "Are you alright?"

Bluestar nodded, "I'm fine. Check on the patrol." It didn't take long to realize that the ThunderClan cats had all fared well, the worst injury was a long cut over Dustpaw's eye, but the apprentice claimed that it didn't hurt too badly. He returned to Bluestar to find her and Darkstripe inspecting the fallen rogue.

"I know this cat," Bluestar was meowing, "His name is… was… Clawface."

Darkstripe nodded somberly, "I remember now. He was one of Brokenstar's cronies, wasn't he?" Then his eyes widened, "Tigerclaw, Bluestar, do you think those cats were the ShadowClan outcasts?"

Tigerclaw was skeptical, "They didn't fight like Clan cats."

Bluestar nodded, "Good point, maybe Clawface was the only one."

Darkstripe shook his head, "I doubt it. I thought I even saw Brokenstar himself. Maybe they just got rusty."

Bluestar sat down, a sorrow in her eyes, "I killed him, Tigerclaw. I just killed Clawface."

"Don't worry," Tigerclaw mewed, feeling a little awkward, "It was self defense. We all saw it."

His leader let out a heavy sigh, "Maybe it would have been better if I had died instead."

Darkstripe rolled his eyes, but there wasn't even a hint of humor in his mew, "Bluestar, if I had to choose between killing the leader of ThunderClan, or a kit-slaughtering rogue, I'd kill the rogue any time."

Bluestar let out a heavy sigh, "I'm returning to camp. Tigerclaw, please take a small patrol and make sure that those rogues stay out of our territory." The deputy nodded and motioned for Whitestorm and Sandpaw to accompany the leader.

Then he turned to the rest of the patrol, "Alright, cats. You heard Bluestar, let's go!" They bounded off in the direction the rogues had taken.

The warriors had hardly travelled more than a few fox lengths before screeching once again erupted. The warriors all came to an abrupt halt, looking for the source of the sound.

Mousefur was the first to realize what was happening, "Bluestar's under attack!" The cats all sprinted back towards the source of the sound, not a single warrior wanted to leave their leader to the mercy of bloodthirsty rogues.


	34. This Isn't Your Fight

Fireheart

Tigerclaw was the first to reach the conflict, but Fireheart was close behind. Either Bluestar and Tigerclaw had to die, or both of them had to live. _Why is everything always against me?_ He quickly scanned the battle for Bluestar, noticing that that fluff brain Sandstorm was stumbling away from a rogue, bloodied. Whitestorm was trying to fight off two rogues at once. And circling Bluestar was the last cat Fireheart expected to see. _Brokenstar!_ The ex leader of ShadowClan was much bigger than Bluestar, and Fireheart knew that Bluestar would lose if those two got in a fight. Tigerclaw made as if to help her, but a trio of big rogues all attacked him at once, forcing him to a stop. Fireheart tried to reach Brokenstar before he pounced, but he was too slow.

The rogue leaped through the air, claws extended. _There goes my chance as leader…_ Then out of nowhere a warrior slammed into Brokenstar. The two toms scrambled to their paws, shock and rage was etched all over Brokenstar's ugly features.

"That was a mistake, Oakheart!" He hissed. The RiverClan cat simply attacked. The fight was the most intense Fireheart had ever seen. The rogue was faster and more experienced, but Oakheart fought with a legendary ferocity. Finally they once again broke apart, both of them panting. Oakheart had a dozen deep wounds, but he was still standing tall. Fireheart couldn't believe his eyes, _Any one of those wounds could've killed a warrior!_ Brokenstar seemed to be thinking the same thing. Doubt glittered behind his dark gaze as he looked for another opening.

"This isn't your fight, warrior. Return to RiverClan."

Oakheart hissed in defiance, "A true warrior never runs. But you wouldn't know that, would you?" Brokenstar let out a roar, and lunged for Oakheart. The RiverClan deputy met him with claws at the ready, and they clashed together. After a blur of movement, Oakheart flung the traitorous warrior away from him. Brokenstar landed on his side, moaning. Oakheart looked up at Bluestar, and for a heartbeat his eyes glittered with emotion. Then he too crumpled to the ground.

"Brokenstar!" a rogue she cat yowled, leaping towards him.

"Oakheart…" Bluestar murmured, as if in a daze. Behind Fireheart, Tigerclaw lashed out powerfully, sending his final attacker scrambling back into the thick brush. Firheart came to his senses and bounded to Bluestar's side. _Act sad… Act worried…_

"Bluestar," he mewed urgently, "Are you alright?" Silently, his leader nodded. Fireheart let out a sigh of relief. Maybe his chance at leader was gone after all.

"My eyes!" Brokenstar's agonized yowl rang through the clearing. Fireheart turned to see the ex leader writhing in pain, deep clawmarks covering his face. He felt a shudder of horror. The cat had been blinded. The rogues took one look at their defeated leader and sprinted away into the woods. _Loyalty only lasts as long as the power does._

Whitestorm knelt at Oakheart's side and inspected the warrior, "He's dead."

Darkstripe shook his head sadly, "I can't believe it. A RiverClan warrior saved our leader." Tigerclaw glanced at Dustpaw.

"Go tell RiverClan what happened. Tell them they can retrieve the body." Dustpaw nodded, trying in vain to blink the blood out of his eyes before taking off at a bound. Fireheart laid his tail on Bluestar's shoulder.

"Come on," he murmured, "Let's get back to camp." His leader followed him without a word. They arrived at camp without any incident. That was no surprise. _Dead cats have a way of messing up a plot._ Yellowfang was standing in the center of the camp, an unreadable look on her face.

Fireheart gestured to Bluestar, "We got ambushed by rogues. Could you make sure she's okay?" Yellowfang nodded and led Bluestar away to the leader's den without a word.

Willowpelt and Runningwind padded towards him.

"What happened?" Ask Runningwind.

"I don't know exactly," Fireheart replied, "We were on our way back from the Gathering, and a bunch of cats attacked us. A RiverClan cat saved Bluestar, but he died."

Willowpelt gasped, and running wind licked her ear to comfort her.

Then he turned back to Fireheart, "Who did it?"

"It looks like it was Brokenstar and a bunch of his rogues. I don't think a Clan sent them."

The dark warrior glanced up at Bluestar's den, "At least she looks okay. You should get some sleep." And for once in his life, Fireheart agreed with a Clan cat.

**As always, thanks for reading! One of the most important parts of this series is coming up in a few chapters! Suspense... **


	35. It's Not Over

Bluestar

_What does it matter anymore? Every cat I've ever loved is dead. What's the point?_ She lay in her nest, a few untouched poppy seeds lying before her. What difference if she was asleep or not? Oakheart was dead. The only cat in the forest who had known her for what she was, and had still loved her.

She just wanted to die. Tigerclaw would run the Clan. Fireheart could grow up to be a responsible warrior. ThunderClan would prosper. _And I could be gone._

She didn't know how, but she eventually fell asleep.

The thorns prickled her paws, and she halfheartedly swiped at a handful of them. The pain was nice in a way. It was the only thing that was still the same.

"Bluestar?" She ignored the voice. It didn't matter either.

"Bluestar!" Reluctantly, she turned to see Spottedleaf and Sparrowfeather standing together a few tail lengths away. Bluestar turned away again. She didn't care what they said anymore.

"It's not over Bluestar." Sparrowfeather now stood next to her. Bluestar looked up and saw that her eyes were full of a deep, knowing sadness.

"I know how it feels," the small cat continued.

Bluestar purred weakly, "No you don't. I have no one. I lost everything I cared for."

Sparrowfeather, "It happened to me too. Except that the cat I loved never loved me." The tone in the she cat's voice suddenly changed, "So I took my pain and gave it back to everyone who had caused it."

Spottedleaf sat down in front of Bluestar, "You still have ThunderClan. You still have power. You have nothing to complain about."

"You wouldn't know what it feels like to lose someone you love," Sparrowfeather hissed at her, "You have no heart."

Spottedleaf shrugged, "If I had a mouse for everytime I heard that, I'd be a very fat cat." She turned to Bluestar, "I think that was the very reason I am so well off. Love is just a softer word for pain."

Sparrowfeather got to her feet, "Well Bluestar, atleast you have Brokenstar taken care of."

Bluestar nodded, "I guess. Then why do you still care?"

Sparrowfeather's ears twitched, "There's another threat coming. Something more powerful than you could ever imagine."

Spottedleaf nodded in agreement, "After all, what use are all of our plans for the Clans if they don't even exist?"


	36. Accepting the Monster

Fireheart

The sun was already up when Fireheart awoke. The smell of blood was still hanging about the camp like a grisly mist. He stretched and stepped out of the warriors' den. His green gaze scanned the camp and spotted a group of cats gathered near the medicine den. He padded towards them. It didn't take long to figure out what they were talking about.

"I say we kill him," Longtail was meowing, "Then he can't hurt any more kits!" A few cats murmured their agreement, but Tigerclaw shook his head.

"We can't do that until Bluestar gives her consent," he mewed, "And she's sick."

"Will she be okay?" Sandpaw asked from her spot next to Dustpaw.

Tigerclaw nodded, "Yellowfang says so."

Whitestorm gestured towards the pair of them with his tail, "You two fought well last night. I think Bluestar's going to make the pair of you warriors once she's better."

"Right after she's torn Brokenstar to pieces," Mousefur growled. Fireheart pushed through the crowd and saw the ex leader himself lying on a sloppy nest of old moss. A poultice was sitting on his face, covering his eyes. _So he really is blinded._

"Hey, Fireheart!" Cinderpaw's mew was energetic, "I think I might be getting better!" _Oh StarClan no!_ He turned to see Cinderpaw staring at him hopefully from her nest, her leg still a twisted mess. He almost let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm sure you'll be fine soon," he lied. Yellowfang suddenly appeared beside him. She didn't look happy.

"I don't see why they're accepting the monster!" she hissed.

Fireheart couldn't help but agree, "I don't understand either. It'll be up to Bluestar in the end." Glancing over at the defeated rogue, he couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction. _Not so tough now, huh?_

A yowl interrupted his thoughts. He glanced up ready to snap at whoever was making the noise, but his mew died in his throat as he heard what the warrior was yowling.

"Rogues! Rogues! We're under attack!" Brokenstar forgotten, the warriors all sprinted for the entrance, knowing that if they could hold the narrow path then it was impossible for the attackers to get into the camp any other way. A few queens bounded back into the nursery, hushing their mewling kits.

Fireheart was dumbfounded, _Why are the rogues attacking again? We defeated Brokenstar!_ He heard a cat screech from the battle up on by the entrance. It was only wide enough for two cats abreast at a time, and Darkstripe and Tigerclaw were preventing any rogues from entering. Then Fireheart saw a pair of small, gray cats with black paws scale down the sheer side of the camp like squirrels, easily gaining access into the camp. They immedietaly sprinted for the medicine den, running in perfect sync. Fireheart moved to intercept them, slamming into the pair only a few tail lengths from the entrance to the den. He was bigger than the two of them, and they were sent sprawling from the impact. However they were back on their paws in an instant, one of them running for the medicine den while the other attacked Fireheart with a ruthless efficiency that only comes from experience. The cat lunged for his throat, and it took all of Fireheart's reflexes to dodge the fatal attack, with the attacker's jaws instead closing around Fireheart's shoulders. A blind rage filled him, and he attacked again, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. He heard a yowl as the other cat was repulsed by Yellowfang, the look on the medicine's cat could only be described as death. Hearing the commotion, a trio of warriors bounded towards them, hissing at the pair of gray cats. The two exchanged a quick glance before dashing back up the wall of the camp and out into the forest.

Just then, more rogues burst through Tigerclaw's defense, bloodied but determined. The clearing was soon full of writhing cats, each warrior fighting twice as ferociously on their home turf. Fireheart leaped at a speckled tom, knocking him to the ground in a few vicious pawswipes. The defeated rogue streaked back out of the camp, dodging one of his comrades who had been tossed flailing into the air by Tigerclaw. Fireheart backed away from the conflict. _There's no point in _me _defending the camp. Nobody will notice if I'm not fighting. _ Then he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see Tigerclaw staring at him, rage filling the huge warrior's gaze. Fireheart felt his blood run cold, _He knows I'm not fighting. He'll tell Bluestar! He'll call me a coward! Maybe he knows what I'm planning! I'll get kicked out of ThunderClan!_ Then his calculating side took over. _He can't kick me out… Not if I tell Bluestar that he killed Redtail._ Little did the ginger tom known just how much that lie would change the Clans.


	37. I Really Am Sorry

**What good is a story if nobody reads it? That's why I would like to thank all of you for reading this story. I will begin posting the final installment, Part III, on December 9th. Now witness the beginning of the end in this mournful tale...**

Tigerclaw

He didn't know why, but he knew that Fireheart had something to do with the attack. It was the only explanation. Why Fireheart wasn't fighting, why the rogues had attacked again for no apparent reason. _Fireheart._

Tigerclaw spun around and dashed towards his leader's den, barging into the space still panting. His eyes lit on Bluestar, lying on her side in her nest.

"Bluestar!" he mewed urgently.

She sat up, looking tired, "What is it? Are rogues attacking?"

Tigerclaw nodded briskly, "Yes, but that's not important. I think Fireheart has betrayed us!" Bluestar's eyes widened in alarm, and Tigerclaw continued, "He's been meeting with a group of cats who ignore the Warrior Code! He's been lying to us all along! And now he's trying to conquer ThunderClan by force!" Bluestar rose to her feet, looking unsteady. She opened her mouth, but a voice cut her off before she could speak.

"He's lying! Tigerclaw's lying!" Tigerclaw turned to see Fireheart standing in the entrance of her den.

Bluestar narrowed her blue eyes, "Why would he do that?"

Fireheart took a deep breath, "Because he killed Redtail! And Ravenpaw saw him do it!" Tigerclaw froze, unable to speak. Fireheart continued, "He's been ordering these rogue attacks, Bluestar! It's all him!"

"But you're meeting with the cats who don't care about the Code!" Tigerclaw growled back. Fireheart's eyes shone with confusion.

The he recovered, "That's just another silly lie. You've always wanted to be leader. You were in here trying to kill Bluestar. You're nothing more than a power crazed villain."

"That's a lie!"

"No." The mew startled both cats, and they turned to Bluestar.

"No," she repeated, "Fireheart is telling the truth." Her mew cracked, "I'm sorry."

Tigerclaw suddenly felt dizzy, "B-but… That's not true…"

"He's not the one meeting with those Codeless cats, Tigerclaw. I am." Bluestar's gaze dropped to the ground between her paws, "You know too much. I'm sorry, Tigerclaw. I really am."

The world around Tigerclaw blurred. He couldn't believe it. It was all a lie. Everything he had relied on... just a lie.

"Come on," Fireheart growled, "The battle's over. It's time the Clan knows what you really are." Tigerclaw stumbled out into the sunlight where the ThunderClan warriors were all gathered below the den, licking their wounds. Yellowfang and Goldenflower were knelt over an unmoving body. _Mistpaw… My son…_ He was jerked to a stop by Fireheart.

"Cats of ThunderClan!" the flame colored cat mewed, "Tigerclaw has just tried to kill Bluestar!" Murmurs of disbelief rippled through the Clan. Fireheart continued, "He also was responsible for the death of Redtail… And he organized the attack on our camp."

"You're lying!" Darkstripe's mew cut through the grumbles of the crowd of warriors, "Let Bluestar tell us for herself." All eyes turned to their leader, who was emerging from her den. She gazed down sadly at the cats gathered below her… and nodded.

"It…. It is true. Tigerclaw betrayed us all and killed Redtail. I have no choice but to banish him." _ThunderClan… I have to leave ThunderClan…_ Fireheart nodded in agreement, and so did most of the cats surrounding them. Tigerclaw couldn't blame them. They believed their leader.

And that's when it struck. The pain. The sorrow. The unbelief. The rage. He had trusted Bluestar. He turned away from the cats around him, and headed for the entrance to the camp. Tigerclaw turned once, and he saw Goldenflower standing among the crowd, a heartbreaking sorrow in her eyes. Something inside of him snapped. Fireheart would pay for this. Pain for pain. Grief for grief. Lies for lies. The forest hadn't seen the last of Tigerclaw.

"Get out!" Fireheart yowled at him, "And don't come back!" Tigerclaw stopped, but he didn't look back.

"Pray to StarClan I won't."

Then he was gone.

End of Book II


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